


The Gory Details

by ryankellycc



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Artists, Awkwardness, Comic-Con, F/F, Fluff, Gen, Getting Together, Insecurity, M/M, Writing, a little bit of a mall rats thing going on, and lots of hormones, and maybe a stalker, hinata is a fanboy, some graphic descriptions - check beginning of chapters for warnings (if any), someone save daichi, which ends up being fine for everyone
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-09
Updated: 2017-01-23
Packaged: 2018-08-14 02:28:15
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 29,424
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7995322
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ryankellycc/pseuds/ryankellycc
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Hinata is obsessed with a brooding writer so Daichi attends his first, and what he assumes will be his last, comic convention.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mentions of scarring, strangulation. One image/piece of art.

“Thankssomuch! I owe you one!”

Sawamura Daichi barely heard his friend as he screeched over his shoulder and ran in a full sprint down the hallway, back in the exact direction from which they came. He followed the receding figure until he disappeared around the corner.

Hinata, his friend and long-time co-worker, had warned him in the car on the way over that they might have to wait in line at some point during the day, which was, as he put it, "pretty boring." When the time came, Daichi was more than happy to volunteer to hold their spots. To an outside observer, it might've looked like an altruistic gesture, and Daichi kept his ulterior motives to himself. The first one was that the idea of a buzzing, bored Hinata bursting at the seams made him shudder. He got more than enough of that at their store. The second motive was a little selfish, but Daichi needed a break.

He slumped against the wall, next to the double doors that Hinata had pointed to, and took the opportunity to catch his breath. It was less crowded in this area of the convention center, a hallway without tables, posters, and signs, and Daichi was grateful. Working at the mall for as many years as he had acclimated him to crowds, but this event, the comic con, was a different monster entirely. As opposed to the mall crowd, which was full of empty, hurried faces and bad, scratchy music from overhead speakers, the convention crowd teemed with life and vibrancy and it overflowed into every nook and cranny of both the physical space and Daichi’s headspace. 

In the relative quiet of the hallway, he tried to recalibrate by watching the smaller groups of people that congregated around the rooms next to his and across the way. He liked the way that they seemed more focused on each other, tucked away from the siren songs of merchandise and celebrities and sweat and shouts. They laughed, fixed each other's hair and adjusted the straps of their costumes and posed for pictures. He didn't recognize many of the costumes that people wore, but so many of them looked professionally outfitted, that he mentioned it to Hinata and he had explained that most people made their own outfits and props. Some dedication, Daichi marveled aloud. He never really strayed into the world beyond textbook enthusiasm, but he was glad that other people did.

When he had bought Hinata passes for his birthday, he didn't think Hinata would turn around and ask him to go. It was exciting and fun and new, and watching Hinata scream with people that shared his interests was interesting, but Daichi didn’t quite get it and he felt out of place in the throes of all the passion around him. In front of him, a woman twirled in a long gown across the hall, and the white fabric cut through the awful taupe of the hallway like a blade. Flashes of her pink wig caught his eye as she spun. Daichi looked down at his favorite Van Halen shirt and furrowed his brow. All in all, Daichi decided, the whole comic convention thing was a lot to handle, and he was glad to have the experience, but doubted he would ever willingly attend another. 

People plopped down on the ground next to him, and then another group next to them, forming the semblance of a line. It grew around him and snaked back and forth into the hallway, so he checked his watch. There was still a half hour until the talk or panel, he corrected himself, started. Daichi pulled the rolled convention schedule out of his back pocket and re-read the text circled in thick, red sharpie.

‘Upcoming LGBTQIA Creators’

There was a short paragraph underneath it with the names of those participating in the panel, but Hinata had circled one name so many times that Daichi couldn’t read the rest. Kageyama Tobio. Daichi had heard this kid’s name so many times over the past couple of years that he swore he would never forget it. He’d probably forget his spouse’s birthday and still remember his name.

He put the pamphlet back into his pocket, crossed his arms over his chest, and contented himself with the smiles of others and the laughter that percolated in the air around him until he heard his name shouted from the end of the hallway. Hinata bounded toward him with at least three new bags. 

“How was it?” Daichi asked when Hinata dropped the bags at his feet and wiped the sweat off his brow. “Was there a secret comic con marathon I didn’t know about?”

Hinata laughed. “Basically! I wanted to make sure I saw as many of the artists as I could. It was so freaking cool! They’re so amazing, like WOW.” He motioned like something was blowing up and then grabbed the sides of his head like he couldn’t believe what he had just seen.

“I’m glad.” He eyed the bags at Hinata’s feet. “I see you’re already taking advantage of that raise you got last week.”

“Ehhh, I might’ve gone a little crazy,” Hinata admitted, “but it was totally worth it! People will buy my art someday, so it’s like karma, or something, OH!”

Daichi cocked his head and watched Hinata rummage through his purchases. He popped up with a small button in his hand, outstretched toward Daichi. 

“I got this for you!”

The character on the pin was so famous that even Daichi recognized him, but, despite knowing the character, he squinted in disbelief. “Captain America?”

Hinata nodded enthusiastically. “I was gonna get a Hulk one, but the artist sold out of them right before I got there.”

“The Hulk? Really?” 

“Yeah! Because you’re always super angry at work.” 

He said it without malice and more like it was a universal truth, which made Daichi roll his eyes. “I’m only angry when you and Tanaka knock over whole shoe displays in front of the regional manager. Or rough house the new merchandise. Or get volleyballs stuck in the ceiling. Or jump over the counter at customers and scare the living shit out of them, oh,” Daichi frowned. “Am I really mad that often?”

Hinata shrugged. “Kinda, but we deserve it most of the time. That’s why Captain America was my second choice.”

Daichi gestured for Hinata to finish the thought because he didn’t make the leap.

“Well, you get mad, but you never fire us. And you even took the blame for the shoe display. And you got me these passes for my birthday! You’re the best manager. Like, ever.”

the u

Daichi grumbled about the shoe display, how he had gotten at least three lectures from the regional manager, but the compliment seeped through the unpleasant memory. He brought his hand to his face to cover the blush. No matter how many times it happened, Hinata’s straightforward praise and twinkling eyes left him momentarily speechless, which made it easy to forgive him. He pulled Hinata in and rubbed the top of his head until words bubbled up in this throat. “You’re a piece of work, y’know?” Hinata giggled and Daichi let go. “And you didn’t have to take me. Here, I mean. I got you two tickets so you could take someone,” he motioned to the groups around them, “that could appreciate all this more.”

“I wanted to come with you! We haven’t hung out outside of work in a long time,” Hinata pouted. “And Tanaka agreed to watch the store for the day! It’s perfect!” 

The mention of Tanaka looking after the store by himself made Daichi’s stomach flip. Tanaka was responsible, most of the time, but his energy didn’t take much to spark and, once it did, it snowballed out of control like a fire during a drought. He trusted Tanaka, truly, but it didn’t stop him from asking Michimiya to keep an eye on the store from her shoe store across the way. And it didn’t stop him from telling Ennoshita that he would pay him to check in on Tanaka every couple of hours.

Daichi pushed his anxiety toward the back of his mind and looked down at the button in his hand, taking care in pinning it to his shirt. Hinata looked at the line behind them and Daichi followed his gaze. “So this panel is a pretty big deal, huh?”

Hinata looked at him with his mouth open for a couple seconds before he brought a hand to his jaw and closed his mouth with an exaggerated pop of his lips. “Daichi! This is Kageyama Tobio’s first panel ever! Of course it’s a big deal!”

“I guess I didn’t realize he was actually famous. Are all these people here for him?”

“I dunno, maybe. I’m don’t know a lot about the other people on the panel,” Hinata ran his hands through his hair and looked Daichi straight in the eye. “All I know is that I love him.”

“You love him,” Daichi repeated.

“Uh, duh!” Hinata pointed at the newest tattoo on his arm. Daichi remembered the bandage, but he hadn’t had the chance to really look admire his newest piece. Hinata had so many tattoos up and down his arms and crawling out from under his shirt that it was hard for Daichi to keep track. But, now that Hinata was standing in front of him with an expectant look on his face, he leaned in to get a closer look. 

A girl with long, dark hair stared up at him. It was incredible; the darkness of her hair enveloped her, like the night itself held her upright. Her skin glowed and she had scars around her neck, like she had been strangled, or hung. It was gruesome and more than a little eerie, making him grimace slightly, but the expression on her face drew him in. Her gaze was a moment of serenity in a storm, or the eye of the tornado. It was breathtaking. 

“Did you draw this one, too?” Daichi asked. 

Hinata shot Daichi his most wounded look. “I draw all of my tattoos! You know that!”

He did know. Hinata never stopped drawing, whether it was on napkins at bars or task lists at the store. “It’s really beautiful... but what does this have to do with Kageyama Tobio? Or were you just antsy to show off your newest piece?” Daichi nudged him playfully in the side.

“NO. Fine. Maybe a little. But, yeah, she has lots to do with Kageyama! She’s the main character from his latest book. I read it like ten times and each time she became clearer and clearer in my head and I couldn’t get her out until I filled an entire sketchbook,” Hinata sighed contentedly, like he was reliving a dream and not hours and hours of wrist-breaking labor. “He’s really talented.”

Daichi looked at him and made sure to catch his eyes before he spoke. “So are you.”

“I know,” Hinata groaned. “But I’m so obsessed with him.”

“Love and obsession are two very different things,” Daichi warned.

Hinata cocked his head and looked at Daichi like he could bore holes through his skull. “Are they though?”

Daichi shrugged. It seemed like the right thing to say, but he didn’t really know. Love wasn't really his area of expertise. 

“I’ve read all his stuff like a million times and found all of the interviews he’s done on the internet. Noya,” Hinata looked at Daichi for recognition, “you know, from the comic book store at the other end of the mall? He helped me find Kageyama’s columns from his college paper. He just gives off this amazing vibe that’s so… writery.”

“Writery?” 

Hinata huffed. “You know what I mean! He doesn’t say much, like in interviews or anything, but he gives off this brooding aura of smarts. Does that make sense?”

“Uh, no. Not at all,” Daichi laughed. 

“Okay,” Hinata pursed his lips, “it’s like, he’s a big mystery, he doesn’t give much and he isn’t super over the top, but his writing and his worlds and characters bring me places I never thought I would go. His words make me want to know everything about him and that stupid brain of his and I love that.”

Daichi bit the inside of his lip. He hadn't picked up a book in a long time, and, even when he did, he never put much thought into the authors themselves. He had always preferred to let the stories stand on their own, but couldn’t justify it out loud. “I don’t know. I still don’t understand.”

Hinata’s neck flushed. “He’s also smokin’ hot, Daichi. Like, people should not be allowed to be as pretty as he is, all dark hair and broad shoulders and resting bitch face.”

Daichi snorted. “So the truth comes out. You’re stalking him because you think he’s hot?”

“Ugh! Were you listening at all?!” Hinata threw his hands up in the air. “And I’m not stalking him!”

“Sure thing, kid,” Daichi patted him on the back. 

“Maybe I’m stalking him,” Hinata admitted in a quiet voice. “The tiniest bit! I’m drawn to him for the reasons that everyone else is, but there’s something, I don’t know, MORE, and it’s hard to explain. You’ll understand someday.”

Daichi had never felt that way about anyone in his quarter of a century as a living, breathing creature and he couldn’t imagine that changing any time soon. Mystery and obsession and love and "smokin’ hot" worked for creative-types like Hinata, but those things didn’t happen for people like him. He was perfectly fine with the things he understood already. 

“That’s sweet Hinata, but I doubt it.”

And, right on schedule, the doors next to them opened. They watched as people from the previous panel filed out of the room. Hinata stood on his tip toes and tried his best to see over their heads. Once they got the signal to enter, Hinata grabbed Daichi’s arm and he let himself be pulled through the open doors.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Brain: How about instead of writing something original, we do another getting together fic?  
> Me: But why??  
> Brain: You gotta.
> 
> And here we are. 
> 
> This'll be super fluffy and REALLY self-indulgent, maybe six or seven chapters? Unless my chill disappears entirely and I go off the deep end. One never really knows. Regular-ish updates, I hope, like maybe every other week? Thanks for reading - comments and kudos are nice and I love them with a fiery passion, but, honestly, I really just appreciate you being here :)


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hinata comes face to face with Kageyama and Daichi feels conflicted about a fellow member of the audience.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't try this at home, kids.

Daichi rolled his shoulder and hissed when he heard it crack. Hinata had pulled him into the panel room so hard that he was afraid his arm would be ripped clean from his body. Hinata might not be the tallest one in a room, but he wasn't the weakest, either. Daichi rubbed the strained muscles in his neck and leaned back into his seat. There were quite a few people that stayed from the panel before, so Hinata's ideal seats, right by the aisle in the middle of the seats, by a microphone in the center of the room, were already taken. Hinata looked longingly at the microphone and pouted at the handful of people sitting in between them and the aisle. “I wanted to sit right next to the microphone so I could be the first one to ask Kageyama a question,” he muttered.

“We’re not that far away,” Daichi tried to reason. They were in the middle of the row of seats, not even ten feet from the aisle.

“But I’m going to have to climb over like twenty people to get there!” 

Daichi rolled his eyes. “Try four. And you’re most definitely not climbing over them, Hinata, that's rude. Can’t you just go around? The aisle behind us isn’t that far.” 

“I know. I just really wanted to be the first. What if everyone gets up there by the time I make it and their questions take forever and there’s no time for my question?” Hinata paled and Daichi was afraid he would throw up. He rubbed Hinata’s back, but laughed to himself quietly.

“Just relax. There’ll be time.” 

“You don’t know that!” 

Daichi looked around the room, which was bigger than he imagined, so, despite the line to get in and the people that had stayed, many of the seats were still empty, and most of the people who occupied those seats were seated and calmly flipping through their phones, unlike Hinata, who hovered over his seat like a puppy who was just told to “sit” but didn’t really understand what he was doing or why he was doing it. “True,” Daichi said, “but the room is half empty and you’re easily the most anxious person here. I also know for a fact that you’re fast. Like when it’s time to vacuum the store and you disappear, like freaking magic.” He wiggled his fingers in the air and Hinata laughed. Daichi was relieved when Hinata finally sat his butt on the chair. “What's so important about your question, anyway?” 

Hinata grinned. “If I tell you, you’ll try to tell me not to ask.”

“It’s not going to be totally inappropriate, right?”

“Eh, maybe only a little inappropriate. Eek!” Hinata jumped back when Daichi glared at him. “I have a real question, too!”

“Two questions? And you were worried about other people taking up all the question time? Is that even allowed?”

Hinata shrugged. “Don’t know if I don’t try, right?”

“I guess…” Daichi was all for trying things, like new dishes at restaurants and reaching sales goals at work, but he didn’t like the evil grin that tugged the sides of Hinata’s mouth and the devious glint in his eyes. He didn't get the chance to ask more about it, though, because a group of people entered the doors at the front of the room and Hinata went completely rigid next to him. The group climbed on to the stage and sat behind the table, each at a microphone. Daichi squinted to read the name plates. Tsukishima Kei, closest to the wall. Next to him, Yamaguchi Tadashi. Then there was a Yachi Hitoka. And, finally, closest to the podium and right in front of the aisle, was Kageyama Tobio. Hinata dry gulped like he was a thirsty man and Kageyama was a tall glass of water. 

Daichi watched the panelists adjust themselves and settle into their seats. Tsukishima had his head in his hands and a look in his eyes that was both far away and sharp, like he would be able to recall every detail of the audience without having seemed like he paid even a lick of attention. Both Yamaguchi and Yachi looked like they might melt into their seats and Daichi felt for them. He couldn’t imagine getting up in front of a crowd of people like that. Kageyama had a serious look plastered on his face as he watched the crowd, and, as much as he hated to admit it, Hinata was right about the brooding aura. His face was drawn tight and his mouth was set in a scowl, but his eyes were wide and alert, both expressive and analytical. The moderator introduced himself as Takeda Ittetsu, professor of comic studies at the local university, and started off by asking each participant to introduce themselves and Daichi tried his best to follow.

Yachi was a colorist and Yamaguchi did line art. Images popped up on the screen behind them and, and, even though Daichi had trouble keeping up with the unfamiliar terminology, he was impressed. Tsukishima was a writer but, unlike Kageyama, it seemed like most of his works were collaborations, and most of those collaborations were with the nervous guy next to him, Yamaguchi. Through the course of the panel, Daichi stole glances at Hinata, who gripped the chair in front of him with white knuckles the entire time. As Takeda asked questions and the panelists answered, Hinata leaned further and further forward, until his chin rested on top of the chair. 

Finally, Hinata’s moment arrived and he shot up in his seat.

“To make sure we have enough time for as many questions as possible, we’re going to open up the panel to the audience. If you all have a question, please line up behind the mic in the aisle-”

Takeda hadn’t even finished his sentence before Hinata was in Daichi’s lap with every intention of climbing over the poor strangers that stood between him and the microphone. Daichi cursed and shoved him in the opposite direction. Hinata sighed dramatically and scrambled over the empty chairs. By the time he made it to the aisle, he was fourth in line. He puffed his cheeks out and crossed his arms over his chest. 

The first question was addressed to the group as a whole. In a shaky voice, the person at the mic asked them how they dealt with hate, if they encountered it at all as LGBT+ creators. Daichi cringed. The panel had been so upbeat and inclusive that he had been able to forget, just for a little, that the world was full of miserable people who had nothing better to do.

Tsukishima sneered. He leaned into the microphone and glared at the audience. “Easy. If some backwater cretin has something to say, I retweet them instantly and embarrass the hell out of them. Idiots are easily intimidated.” Yamaguchi bit his lip as Tsukishima spoke, and smiled as he nodded in agreement. Tsukishima glanced at him before sitting back, and Daichi thought he saw the tiniest inkling of a smile.

“I, uh, try to ignore them,” Yachi squeaked. “But I also talk to my friends and people in the community. And my girlfriend. She’s been in this business a lot longer than I have, so that helps. She’s…” Yachi blushed furiously, “so wonderful. You should stop by my table to see her work. Ah! Her name! Kiyoko. Her name his Shimizu Kiyoko.” She waved to someone in the crowd, so Daichi turned.

The woman who waved back made even Daichi’s solidly gay heart skip a beat. The black-haired, black-clad angel of a woman waved back with slender fingers, toned arms, and a small smile that could melt glaciers. It wasn’t easy for Daichi to tear his eyes away, but he didn’t want to be the creep that stares at pretty strangers. He wasn't that guy.

Hinata tapped his foot behind the person in front of him, who asked the panelists who influenced them the most in their work. Without hesitation, Kageyama answered, in a serious, strong voice, “I learned everything I know from a magnificent senpai called Sugawara.”

Someone in the audience burst into raucous laughter and Daichi turned around so quickly he almost snapped his neck. What kind of jerk laughed at someone like that? He was ready to shoot his most ominous glare, one that made even Hinata back down from whatever harebrained thing he was doing at the store, but when Daichi saw who was laughing, he found it hard to believe that he ever had any negative thoughts at all. 

He wished that was an exaggeration, for his own sanity. Kiyoko was beautiful, but this guy? Daichi’s heart thumped against his ribcage. What the hell? This was a jerk that laughed at other people! Daichi brought his hand up and felt the corners of his mouth in disbelief. Why was he smiling?

The guy’s eyes crinkled as he laughed. His cheeks dimpled and his silver hair fell haphazardly from under his beanie and grazed his forehead. Daichi wanted to slap the guy. He wanted the guy to slap him. He couldn’t hide the look of panic on his face and attempted to strangle the life out of the treacherous thoughts that swarmed his brain and made it hard for him to breathe. Daichi tried to turn around to hear the rest of Kageyama’s answer, but his body didn’t pay any attention to the frantic signals his rational mind sent. Not the guy who stared at beautiful strangers, huh? He watched the guy hit the other guy next to him in another fit of laughter. The guy he hit was huge, with long hair and roughly trimmed facial hair, like a biker, or an enforcer from a mob movie, or something, and the other guy just hit him with a big smile on his face like it was nothing? Did they know each other? 

When Kageyama went quiet and Yamaguchi started to talk, Daichi somehow managed to get a hold of himself and turned back to the stage. Kageyama didn’t seem at all fazed by the laughter. In fact, he looked more content than ever.

So maybe the guy wasn’t a jerk? Daichi wasn’t a religious man, but he prayed for the guy’s innocence. He tried to tell himself that the only reason he cared was that he was protective of Kageyama, a young artist so much like Hinata. Yeah, it was totally that and most definitely not that, for the first time in forever, he was immediately drawn in by a complete stranger and couldn't bear to think ill of him.

The microphone in the aisle fell over and Daichi looked to see Hinata bend down to pick up the stand and adjust it down to his height. Daichi sucked in breath and braced himself, grateful for the distraction from the beautiful laughing man and his giant friend. 

“This question is for Kageyama,” Hinata said breathlessly into the mic. “Do you have a boyfriend?”

Kageyama’s eyes went wide and he sputtered. Daichi couldn’t make out what he was mumbling, but he was pretty sure he caught “dumbass” and “stupid” and “what the hell.” At least he thought that's what Kageyama was saying, because he was thinking the same things himself. 

“It’s not a dumbass question!" Hinata spit. "I’m serious! Do you have a boyfriend? Or girlfriend?”

Tsukishima snickered openly and Yamaguchi had his hand over his mouth in a poor attempt to hide his laughter. Yachi looked mortified and Daichi empathized. He wanted to hide his face, but, like a train wreck, he couldn't stop watching.

“I don’t care! It is and I’m not answering that!” Kageyama hissed. 

Daichi burned with second-hand embarrassment. He tried to get Hinata’s attention and, when he did, Hinata winked. He wasn’t perturbed in the slightest, Daichi realized with horror.

“Fine! If it’s a big secret, I can ask something else.”

“Only if it’s not a stupid question.”

“It’s not! And my question before wasn’t stupid,” Hinata rolled his eyes. “So, are you really excited about anything you’re working on right now? Because I love your stuff and literally cannot wait to see more.”

Kageyama blinked and thought about the question for a couple seconds. It was amazing how quickly his demeanor changed when he was faced with a question about his work. “I’m looking for someone who might want to collaborate with me on a new project. Maybe an ongoing serial? I’ve never done one and they look like a cool challenge.”

Tsukishima laughed again. “You, Kageyama Tobio, king of young genius fantasy writers, want to collaborate? However will you stoop to anyone's level below your own?”

Yamaguchi hit him, but Kageyama didn't rise to the bait and answered, without breaking eye contact with Hinata, “Whatever. I want to try, at least.”

Hinata broke the hush of the crowd by jumping and down and waving his arms. 

“GWAH! That’s so cool! What’s your idea? Who are you asking? It’s gonna be amazing! I know! Tell me-”

Tsukishima interrupted. “Not sure if either of you noticed, but there are other people in the room.” 

“Your enthusiasm is wonderful, but I’m afraid he’s right,” Takeda smiled and pointed at the person behind Hinata. “We’ll take the next question, but you can always find the artists at their booths after the panel!”

Hinata nodded enthusiastically and bowed. “Right! Sorry! Thank you all for being here!” 

Kageyama had a faint blush on his cheeks as he leaned into the mic to thank Hinata for his question, even if it was idiotic.

When Hinata slid into his seat, Daichi jabbed him in the side. “What the hell is wrong with you? You can’t just ask him that in front of a bunch of people,” he whispered harshly.

Instead of answering Daichi’s question, Hinata swooned. “I can’t believe I actually talked to him! And he said something back! We had an actual, real life conversation. Me and Kageyama Tobio! Whoa...” 

“Yeah, I saw,” Daichi responded. Hinata slumped in the seat, smiling dreamingly, and Daichi decided that he was too far gone to be reprimanded for the invasion of Kageyama's privacy. Instead, Daichi glanced behind him and asked, “Hinata, do you know anything about the guy he mentioned? Sugawara?”

Hinata hummed happily. “Not a lot. He doesn’t have anything out right now and I’m not sure his books are in print. He doesn't really do a lot of public stuff, either. From what I’ve read, Sugawara’s stuff seems too intense for me.”

Daichi recalled the hours spent in the store listening to Hinata retell Kageyama’s stories and flip through sketchbooks. Characters and currencies and colloquialisms. Made-up languages and intricate economies, maps and fictional weather patterns, wars and hundreds of pages of strategy. He had a hard time believing that someone could be more intense than Kageyama. And, if that person was more intense, why had the guy laughed?

“Really?” 

“Yeah. Kageyama is intense, but it’s more worldbuilding, like high fantasy or something. From what I hear, Sugawara’s stuff is, um,” Hinata bit his bottom lip as he searched for something in his head. “I think he’s more of a horror writer.”

Before Daichi could follow up, though, Hinata tugged on his sleeve and waved his phone around. “We gotta go!”

“What? But the panel’s not over?”

“I know, but Kageyama’s signing books at his table and I want to make sure I get all of mine signed. Plus,” Hinata waggled his eyebrows suggestively, “he didn’t answer my first question. And this time it’ll just be me and him!”

“You don’t ever give up, do you?” 

“Nope!” 

Hinata grabbed his bags and made to leave. Daichi took one last look at the laughing guy, who scribbled something in a notebook while the big guy next to him pointed to the illustration on the screen, and followed Hinata out of the room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Hope you're enjoying! I'm having fun here because I just love excited, ballsy, sort of inappropriate, hormonal Hinata. Forgive me. 
> 
> Oh! If you have any cool horror comics/stories to recommend me, or just want to say hi, come find me on tumblr - @jellyryans. 
> 
> See you in a week and a half ish!! Thanks again for stopping by!


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Daichi and Hinata have their first close encounter with desirable strangers.

Back on the the convention floor, amidst the swarms of people, they looped in and out of tables for good ten minutes and argued over which way to hold the map before Hinata found Kageyama’s table number on the paper and they maneuvered themselves out of the line of foot traffic in the right direction. 

Daichi couldn't help notice that it was different at this end of the convention floor; they had started from the other end, close to the entrance of the building, when they arrived. He hadn’t seen much of interest there, just a lot of shirts, mugs, and plastic toys, generic mass-produced merchandise that also lined the windows of countless stores in the mall. He had been a little disappointed that the lackluster background scenery of the mall had followed him to the con and that he had paid to be there, but where Hinata and Daichi stood on the opposite side of the room, everything was unique. Each table had a person behind it, either sketching quietly, chatting with customers, or joking with the people next to them. 

Hinata shoved a bunch of books into Daichi’s chest, almost knocking the wind out of him. “Hold these a sec?”

He agreed and cradled the books in his arms while Hinata rearranged the purchases in his bags. Daichi looked over the tables filled with rainbows of color and then down at the books in his hands, black and white on newsprint. “So this is the area for artists, right?”

“Yup,” Hinata mumbled from his bags.

Daichi wasn’t sure what he wanted to ask, but a table full of books seemed out of place in the hurricane of color that surrounded them. “So... Kageyama’s table is here?” 

“Yeah?” Hinata eyed Daichi warily. He reached for his books and relieved Daichi of the burden in his arms, but not the one on the tip of his tongue.

“I guess I just see a lot of pictures and, uh, visual art here, so I didn’t know if there was a separate place for writers?”

“Sometimes, if there’s enough space, but this one’s kinda small so they lumped them all together,” Hinata pressed his mouth into a thin line. “For a second, I thought you were saying that you didn’t think writers were artists. Because that’s dumb.”

Daichi whacked him upside the head. “I get that writers are artists, but it’s not like they have sketchbooks or fancy posters to look at. I feel kind of bad, like maybe they get overlooked?” 

Hinata hummed and bit the inside of this cheek as he thought about it. “I guess you’re right, but we’re here for a writer. We’re paying attention!”

“True enough,” Daichi admitted, and, instead of reaching out to hit Hinata, Daichi pulled him close. People could say what they wanted about Hinata, that he was brash, outrageous, or too much, but the kid never failed to see a silver lining and it was one of the many reasons he kept him around.

“So, I was thinking about what you asked me, about Sugawara,” Hinata started.

Daichi hummed. 

“Remember? Like two seconds ago?”

“Your faith in me is reassuring," Daichi joked. The real question, however, was how could he forget?

“Like I said, I don’t know much about horror, technically, but I was thinking about some of Kageyama’s interviews and the snippets I’ve read of Sugawara’s, and what Noya has told me. Some of it’s monsters, like Dracula or Frankenstein, or, like, psychological stuff and serial killers. Oh! And dystopian worlds! And gore. Like, body horror and severed limbs and - ” 

The guy from the panel had laughed when Kageyama mentioned Sugawara Koushi, who, apparently, wrote stories about rotting flesh and sociopaths and things that made Daichi’s stomach turn, which was an interesting turn of events. Did that mean laughing guy was into this stuff as well? He tried to reconcile gushing blood and oozing wounds with the guy’s dimpled cheeks and easy smile and came up with nothing.

“Why did you ask about him specifically?” Hinata asked abruptly. It caught Daichi off guard. 

“Ah, can’t I be curious about someone your precious Kageyama mentioned?” 

“Maybe, but you haven’t really asked about anyone else here -” 

An unfamiliar voice interrupted them, stopping Hinata from delving further into the nebulous and frankly impure reasons for Daichi’s interest. 

“Hey, sorry to interrupt, but you’re that guy from the queer comics panel just now!” 

Hinata smiled. “Hi! You mean Kageyama’s panel?”

“That's the one! I was in the audience. Sugawara Koushi.”

When Sugawara dropped his name, Hinata, in turn, dropped everything he was holding and used his hands to clap as he jumped up and down. “Oh! Oh my god! I'm Hinata Shouyou. Wow!" Hinata looked at Daichi and then back at Sugawara. "You’re Sugawara Koushi?”

Sugawara seemed taken aback by the recognition, but dutifully ignored it. He also noticed the shared look between them, much to Daichi's horror. “Oh no need to be so formal, Hinata. Just Suga is fine. And of course I remember you! Not many people stand up in front a room full of people and embarrass the hell out of strangers," he grinned.

For the first time across the course of Daichi's acquaintance with Hinata, he looked bashful. “I didn’t mean to embarrass him, exactly. But I did mean it!” Hinata’s eyes got wide with a sudden realization. His modicum of shame couldn’t last forever. “Oh, you would know! Does Kageyama have a boyfriend?”

Suga made the motion of zipping his lips and throwing away the key. “That’s not my place to say.” He shifted his eyes to Daichi. “This your friend?”

Daichi froze in place when Suga's eyes met his. Sugawara and the guy from the panel. Sugawara was the guy from the panel. He was standing right in front of them and looking at him with the ghost of a smile still haunting his face. Sugawara, the horror writer? Laughing guy, Sugawara, wrote about oozing sores and murderers. Sugawara. He had a mole under his left eye and Daichi noticed that his eyelashes weren’t black, but a glittering shade of pewter. He willed himself to move, but his arms refused to obey. He tried to speak, but it didn’t happen. 

“Yup, that’s Daichi!” Hinata chirped.

“Aw, Daichi, you a big fan of Kageyama’s? That's sweet!” 

Daichi looked down at the books in his hands. He had picked them up when Hinata flung them to the ground and had completely forgotten he was holding them. He begged his body to do something, anything, and all he came up with was a soft gurgle and a shake of the head. 

“I’m the fan!” Hinata corrected. “Daichi’s actually my boss.”

Suga pursed his lips and lowered his gaze. “Wow, you make your boss carry your stuff? You’re even more ballsy than you let on.” The words sunk in like a lead weight and Hinata yelped as he grabbed everything out of Daichi’s hands. 

Without anything to hold and nothing to hide behind, Daichi felt naked. It was ridiculous. Everything about the situation felt ridiculous. 

“That’s a little better, huh?” Suga cooed. 

“Thanks,” Daichi croaked. 

“It’s nice to meet you, Daichi.”

Lured by the silver waves that stuck out of his beanie and the teeth that shone white between his lips, Daichi found the words that were stuck in his throat. “It’s nice to meet you, too, Sugawara.”

“Just Suga, really." He bit his bottom lip in an attempt to hide his smile. “If you’re the boss, does that make this a work outing? That’s a pretty sweet deal. Are you guys writers or something?”

“No, we work at the mall. This is just fun. Daichi got me the passes for my birthday!” Hinata answered. “It’s his first time at a con.”

Daichi willed him to stop talking, but to no avail. He had never been embarrassed by his job before but, for some reason, standing with two artists, in front of a table of artists, insecurity snuck up on him and stuck its claws in his mind. It didn't matter, Daichi knew that, but his heart fell at the thought that Suga might think less of him.

“Oh, you're first time?” Suga said knowingly. “That explains the shell-shocked look on your face.”

“It’s pretty funny, right?” 

They laughed together at Daichi’s expense, which was fine. They were partially right, the day had taken its toll on him, but, most importantly, Daichi got to see Suga laugh again and he was able to forget, just for a moment, that he might not be worthy of the acquaintance.

Suga’s phone buzzed in his pocket and his face lit up when he checked the screen. He tapped out a message, got an immediate reply, and typed another message. “That was Kageyama. He’s on his way over.”

Hinata’s breaths became shallow and fast. “He’s coming?! Are you sure you can’t tell me if he has a boyfriend? I need to know! Or, wait! I have a different question!” Hinata put his hand up to Suga’s mouth to stop him from answering, even if he was about to, and Suga looked at Daichi with surprise. “Could you at least tell me if he likes guys? I know we were at the queer thing, but I don't want to assume! Please, Suga, please give me something!”

“Well,” Suga looked over his shoulder and then beckoned Hinata to come closer, “I’m not going to say anything, but if you, I don’t know, just happened to see our texts, I wouldn’t be able to do a thing about it, right?” 

Daichi looked aghast as Suga’s lips curled and he grinned like the devil might when he made a lucrative deal and showed Hinata his phone. Against his better judgement, which had been thrown unceremoniously to the wind, Daichi leaned over Hinata’s shoulder to read the messages, too.

      From: KT  
      On my way. Anyone there yet?

     To: KT  
     Ya. Here w that guy from the panel……..

     From: KT  
     Omg the dumbass who asked me if i had a bf?

     To: KT  
     Maaaaaaaaybe. He’s p cute up close.

     From: KT  
     He’s hot but not the point! Be there in 5. 

Hinata grabbed Suga’s wrist with one hand and Daichi’s with the other and bounced on the balls of his feet between them. “Is this a dream? Am I dreaming?” 

Suga and Daichi spoke at the same time.

“Don’t get ahead of yourself.”

“You should slip him your number when he signs your books!”

Hinata gasped and dug into his backpack, making it obvious which piece of advice he took. Daichi tried to get his attention to dissuade him, but Hinata was too far gone in his mission. 

“What? Not a fan of young love?” Suga asked quietly.

“It’s not that,” Daichi watched Hinata, who had plopped down between them and started to draw on a blank page of his sketchbook. “It’s just, maybe it's better that he doesn't surprise Kageyama, I mean, a little goes a long way with him.”

Suga moved closer and the warmth of his body crept into the pores of Daichi’s skin and coursed through his veins, scorching his face with a violent blush. “Ah, well, some surprise is good. And a little never goes far enough with Kageyama, so maybe it's good for them both.”

The way he said it, tenderly but slightly exasperated, did things to Daichi’s heart. Sugawara Koushi, beguilingly handsome, freaking adorable, a tad mischievous, maybe a writer-deviant, and probably not a jerk.

“Hey, when Kageyama said he learned everything from you, during the panel, why did you laugh?”

Suga looked at Daichi with an eyebrow raised. “It was that noticeable, huh? I told him to say it, but I meant it as a joke, and Kageyama tends to take things seriously.” Suga looked at the ground. “I suppose I’m kind of an asshole sometimes,” he murmured.

Unbidden, Daichi’s hand found Suga’s arm. The fabric was soft beneath his palm, the muscle firm under his touch. “No, you’re not. Not at all.”

“Oh,” Suga breathed. He parted his lips and his eyes lingered on Daichi’s face for just a moment before he caught someone else’s eyes over his shoulder. Suga waved and moved from Daichi’s grasp. He closed his fist quickly, like it would stop Suga’s warmth from dissipating into the air.

“Just saw my friend, so I have to run and grab him. It was really nice meeting you! Maybe I’ll see you guys around! Bye Hinata!” 

Hinata said goodbye from the ground, still scribbling on a scrap of paper, and Daichi waved, entranced. With memories of Suga’s lips and and the tingling warmth of his body still fresh in his mind, he watched Suga walk away, toward the guy he sat next to during the panel. 

“Were you checking him out?” Hinata shrieked from the floor. 

Daichi spun around. That weasel. “No! And keep your voice down! Jesus.”

Hinata grinned wide and hauled himself up. “You totally were! I caught you in the act!” He stroked his chin. “Don’t blame you though. He does have a fantastic ass.”

“N-no. Definitely not... that,” Daichi replied. He half-expected someone to jump out and give him a prize for the world’s least convincing denial. "Hey, you were checking him out?

“Couldn't help it! Those pants were so tight! Hey, maybe after Kageyama and I fall madly in love, we can go on a double date!”

Daichi groaned inwardly. It was true, Suga's pants were very, pleasingly, perfectly tight, and would probably keep him up at night. But, in the end, he walked away. “Sure Hinata. When Kageyama decides to date his stalker, we’ll all go out." A group of people made their way toward the table. At the head of it, a tall guy with a newly familiar scowl.

Hinata clutched his books close to his chest. “It’s happening!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey-ooooh! Due to planning issues, the next update will probs be a double - a shorter chapter four and a normalish chapter five. Also, this might be more like ten chapters. Sigh. Take the computer away from me already.
> 
> Thanks so much for the comments and kudos so far, they mean a lot to me and I appreciate you all taking the time to read my stuff. Hopefully you continue to enjoy! See you in a couple weeks!
> 
> Find me on tumblr @jellyryans.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Close encounters of the Kageyama kind.

From the way Kageyama grimaced and nodded curtly at the comments from the group of people tailing him, Daichi guessed that they weren’t people he knew, or, if he did, he wasn't entirely comfortable with them. Kageyama actively avoided looking in their direction until he sat down behind his table, brought out his pens, and straightened the books that were already there.

When he did look up to meet Hinata’s gaze, he took a deep breath and set his face in a deadpan. But, despite the severity of his expression, Daichi swore he saw a faint blush dust his cheeks. Kageyama nodded in their direction, signaling that he was ready to start signing books, and Hinata launched himself at the table like a herd of galloping horses. Daichi followed with steps significantly more restrained.

“Hi again!”

Kageyama didn’t say anything as he took the stack of books balanced precariously in Hinata’s arms. He opened up the book on top to the title page and Daichi heard his pen scratch the surface of the paper.

“You’re not going to say hello to your fan?” Hinata leaned in to see what Kageyama was writing and, when he saw that it was just Kageyama's signature, groaned loudly. “Geez! And you’re not even going to ask me my name and sign my books properly?”

“Oh,” Kageyama looked down at his name and then up at Hinata, surprise evident on his face.

Hinata let out a puff of breath. “It’s Hinata Shouyou. Just write Hinata.”

Kageyama wavered. “But I already signed it?” 

“There's a ton of space still! You have to personalize it, dumbass.” 

“I don’t have to do anything, idiot,” Kageyama replied, the tone of his voice not quite matching the spite in his words. He looked out the side of his eyes and refused to meet Hinata’s. “Do other people?”

Hinata laughed, which made Kageyama tense. “Uh, yeah. Name, message, signature. Do it better on the next one,” he pointed to the next book on the stack.

Kageyama grabbed it and brought his pen to the book, but it stopped after Hinata's name. He looked up at Hinata with an open expression, no creases in his forehand or lines at the side of this mouth. “What else should I write?” 

“You’re the writer!” Hinata said, dumbfounded.

“You don’t have to remind me, dumbass!”

Hinata slammed both of his hands on the table and startled Kageyama. He jabbed his finger in Kageyama’s face. “Stop calling me a dumbass, dumbass! I buy all of your stupid books! I’m probably your biggest fan! Be nicer!”

He glared daggers at Hinata for a couple seconds. “You’re right,” Kageyama mumbled. His pen still hovered over the paper and he swallowed loudly. “Sorry.”

“It’s okay,” Hinata replied airily. “Just write something like, to Hinata, my biggest and most adoring fan. Or...” Hinata bit his bottom lip to contain his smile, “maybe, to Hinata, who is my biggest fan and is also super hot!”

To Kageyama’s credit, he didn’t react at all and just stared blankly at Hinata; he refused to write it and said it in so many words. 

“Why not? Because it’s not true?” Hinata asked.

Kageyama shrugged noncommittally and was about to put his pen to the paper when Hinata scratched his own arm and Kageyama caught sight of Hinata’s newest tattoo. He opened and closed his mouth a couple times before speaking, disbelief almost overpowering his words. “Is that.. Is that Leila? My Leila?”

“Yeah! Oh my god, she was so great, she’s probably my favorite char-”

“Did you draw her?” Kageyama interrupted quickly. His eyes wandered up and down Hinata’s arm. 

Hinata nodded, reached both of his arms out and twisted them to show off his ink. “I draw all my tattoos, actually.” Kageyama continued to study his arms and Hinata rambled in the silence between them. “I have this really great artist that works with me on the colors. One time, he even let me mix the colors myself! I want to get more done from your stuff, like part of the maps from the Nesting Wings series you did in college, or the rickety old shack in Crows of Murder!”

Daichi watched them talk, and Kageyama watched Hinata like a hawk, his special brand of stern curiosity encouraging Hinata to continue. His eyes traveled over Hinata’s body, like he was charting a map.

“Have you drawn a lot from my writing?”

“Oh god. So much,” Hinata drawled. “Like, shelves of sketchbooks full.” 

“I didn’t know anyone would ever want to do that,” Kageyama said thoughtfully. 

“Really? But your writing is so clear, and your stories are so amazing…” He trailed off and looked at Kageyama, who shrugged and signed the last of Hinata’s books. Hinata puffed out his chest. “Well, now you have me! You keep writing, I’ll keep drawing! Remember that!”

Kageyama eyed Hinata and then looked behind him. “I have to, um, sign other people’s books now.”

“Right!” Hinata sounded disappointed, but he hurried to open his backpack and move out of the way. “Thank you!” 

Hinata apologized to the people behind him and scrambled over to Daichi. He opened his mouth, but Kageyama’s voice came from the table behind him. 

“Hey! You left a paper!” 

“I know!” Hinata shouted back. “It’s for you!”

Kageyama opened the paper and looked at it for half a second before shoving it under the table. He didn’t look over again, but he stuttered as he greeted his next fan.

Daichi knew what was on the paper, but he asked anyway.

“I left him my phone number, obviously!”

“Of course you did,” Daichi sighed. Giving out a number was harmless enough, but, despite what Suga had said and despite whatever Kageyama said in a very private text message, he worried. Hinata was the eternal optimist, so it was that, whenever he was down, the world followed. Daichi hated it. 

Hinata peered at him out of the corner of his eye. “I know what you’re thinking, dad,” he emphasized sarcastically, “And it’s okay. I know he’s really famous and he probably gets a million numbers, and the chance he’ll call me is slim, but I couldn’t miss the opportunity, right? I would’ve regretted it if I didn’t.”

Daichi breathed a sigh of relief. “Yeah. Suppose you’re right.” He looked around the convention floor and spotted a section they hadn’t seen. With renewed interest, he was curious to see what other artists and writers had out for display. “Hey, should be walk around a bit before heading out? See all the stuff we haven’t seen yet?”

“DUH!” 

Hinata grabbed Daichi’s hand and pulled him toward the center of the convention floor. Before leaving the artist area, Daichi looked around one last time, just in case his own opportunity presented itself. It didn’t, and Daichi told himself it was fine, and probably for the best. He didn’t need a repeat of his previous embarrassment and he definitely didn’t need the impossibility of further acquaintance with Suga rubbed in his face. 

He did, however, allow himself to think about pleasantly related things as he followed Hinata around, like the shades of brown in Suga’s eyes. Caramel. Copper. Hickory. Cinnamon. Chocolate. Honey? 

 

Hours later, Hinata slept in the passenger side of Daichi’s car and drooled on the upholstery. Daichi pulled up to Hinata’s apartment complex and tried to kick him out of the car, but Hinata pretended to not be able to wake up enough to walk and Daichi relented. He carefully carried him up to his apartment and tossed him on the bed. Before he left, he glanced at the shelves of sketchbooks. The one open on his desk had Kageyama's name at the top of a very full page. 

When he arrived at his own apartment, Daichi sat down in front of the computer. He opened up a tab in the web browser and typed in Suga’s name. Not much came up at first look, but Daichi wasn’t worried. He had the rest of the weekend to dig.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I said double update, so today is awkwardly short chapter and tomorrow will be longer more normal chapter. And then back to normal chapters updated every other week after that. Deal? 
> 
> Thanks so much for reading! Hope you enjoy! See you tomorrow for chapter five!


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Daichi branches out and Hinata has a breakthrough.

“Yes, thank you. Yup. Talk next week. Take care.”

Daichi hung up the phone as quickly as he could without seeming too eager. A yawn threatened to split his face in half and he wiped the tears from his eyes. Monday morning calls to corporate were boring enough, but, coupled with his lack of sleep, he barely slogged through them.

He plucked his clipboard off the peg on the well and went through the motions of checking inventory in the back room. As it sometimes did, his mind wandered as he checked each UPC against the numbers in the grid. Sugawara Koushi was a hard writer to track down. His wikipedia page had all of two vague sentences about his career and his bibliography only had a couple viable links in the list of short stories, submissions, and novels. Nothing about his life or the current status of the two books published under his name. Daichi needed more. 

He had been glued to his computer since returning from the convention the Saturday prior. Eventually, in the wee hours that night, into Sunday morning, Daichi found one of Suga’s stories. He distinctly remembered wanting to take a victory lap around his living room when he clinked the link and actual words showed up on the screen. He read the story quickly, then read it again. The story was set in post-apocalyptic America and was loosely about a virus that affected random people and made these people act out their deepest, most violent, most gruesome impulses. It was good, the comments identified a meditation of the nature of evil, but Daichi had never read anything so violent. It had kept him up the rest of the morning and even the happiest thoughts of Suga's tight pants or the colors of his eyes or the sound of his couldn't distract him from going back to the story and losing sleep that night.

It was crazy, Daichi admitted. He was as horrified by the story as he was drawn to the author, and even more mystified by the combination of the two. He continued comparing numbers in the dusty store room and the hours dragged mercilessly. Daichi just about fell over himself to take his break when the time came.

“I’m off for lunch,” he waved to Tanaka, his other employee-turned-friend, on way out of the store. They only got half an hour for lunch, so Daichi had to make every second count. He booked it and made it to the food court in record time.

He heard her just as Michimiya hopped in line next to him. “Daichi!” 

“Hey, you on break too?” Daichi asked absentmindedly, fully aware that it was an obvious question. 

Michimiya nodded. They moved forward and she nudged him. “I was thinking we could meet up for drinks this weekend? It’s been awhile, you know.”

Daichi rolled his eyes. “Last time we went out for drinks, you ending up making out with a girl at the bar and I had to listen to it the entire evening.”

“If I remember correctly, you ended up taking someone home, too!” Michimiya rebuffed. She tapped her chin and hummed in thought. “God, what was his name?”

“Oh, I don’t remember,” Daichi admitted. 

“Didn’t you guys hook up for, like, weeks after?” Michimiya asked incredulously. Daichi stared straight ahead. She filled the silence with a dramatic sigh. “You’re such a catch, Daichi. I don’t understand how you can suck so badly at relationships.”

Her comment made him pay more attention to the conversation. “What?”

“Ugh, you know, you fuck a guy for a couple weeks or months, even, and then all of a sudden he’s nowhere to be seen and you’re completely unmoved. Like it never happened. Some of those guys were really into you!”

“I don’t know about that,” he said. “They lose interest, or I lose interest, and then we go our separate ways. Isn’t that the way it works?”

“I guess,” Michimiya agreed without conviction. “Whatever you think, you should still come out this weekend,” she pleaded with her hands clasped in front of her. “Maybe you’ll magically meet Mr. Right and you’ll fall madly in love and you two can ride off into the sunset or blow each other in a bathroom or, or, whatever! Please?”

Daichi shook his head with a smile. “Wow, really covering your bases there. Maybe another time.”

“C’mon. We’ll go to your favorite bar? I’ll buy your first drink? Hot guys?” Michimiya fluttered her eyelashes.

“I’m not interested.”

She knocked him on the forehead. “Who are you and what have you done with my friend? Huh?”

Daichi swatted her hand away. “Another time, okay? I wanted to catch up on some reading this weekend.”

“Reading?” She asked. Daichi shrugged. “Fine,” she said as she crossed her arms against her chest. “But buy me a lemonade to make it up to me?”

“Only if you’ll leave me alone this week,” Daichi bargained.

Michimiya slapped him on the shoulder. “Deal. You’re off the hook, but just for this week! Real Daichi better come back soon and be my wingman again, though.”

They moved up to the cash register and ordered their food. Daichi handed Michimiya the promised lemonade and grabbed his bag. 

“Wanna walk back together?” Michimiya asked between sips. 

“I have a bit of time before I have to get back, so I’m going to hang out up here. You go on ahead.”

“Suit yourself!” Michimiya waved as she walked to the escalator. 

When she disappeared from view, Daichi hurried in the opposite direction. 

Their conversation replayed in his head. He did feel bad about not remembering that guy’s name, but he wasn't being flippant, that was just usually how it went. They met, they flirted, they fucked, and then, somewhere along the line, someone got bored. Either Daichi stopped calling or the other guy stopped texting and that was that. He just assumed that was the way it went and never considered the possibility that someone would be worth chasing, or, conversely, that he would be worth chasing.

He reached his destination on the other side of the mall and stepped into the comic book store that Hinata frequented on his own breaks.

“Hi,” he greeted the person behind the counter, who peered at him over the book he was reading. “Are you Nishinoya? My friend, Hinata -”

At the mention of Hinata’s name, the guy behind the counter threw his magazine on the counter and jumped off his stool. “From Sports World, right? You must be Daichi, the boss!” 

Daichi was impressed for a second before he realized that he was still wearing his name tag. “And you’re Nishinoya, er, Noya?”

“Noya, the one and only! What can I do for ya, big guy?”

“I,” Daichi was momentarily distracted by the intensity of Noya’s eyes and the familiarity of his greeting, “I was wondering if you had anything by a specific author? ” 

“Who’re you looking for?”

“Sugawara Koushi. If you need me to spell -”

“Huh,” Noya leaned his face into into palm, elbows on the counter, and really looked at Daichi. “Been awhile since I heard that name. Lemme check...” he murmured to himself as he shifted to the computer. Without looking up, Noya spoke. “Guy’s a good writer, but he’s got a pretty sick mind. You into that shit?”

Was he? Daichi’s response surprised him. “Yeah.”

“Interesting,” Noya hummed. He moved his chair to look at files behind the desk and Daichi caught a glimpse of the photos that lined the wall. There were lots of magazine clippings, drawings, and even a few selfies. Daichi paused at one of them. He leaned over the counter and squinted. Noya noticed out of the corner of his eye and raised his eyebrows. 

“Sorry if this is too forward, but do you know that guy?” Daichi pointed at the picture. “The one with the beard and long hair?”

Noya looked at the picture and clicked his tongue. “Yeah, that particularly handsome tree of a man is Azumane Asahi. Why? D’you know him?”

“I saw him this weekend, at the comic con thing downtown. He was with Suga,” Daichi coughed. “Sugawara.”

Noya’s eyes got wide with interest. “Really? You saw that guy, Asahi, my Asahi, with Sugawara Koushi? You sure?”

“Yeah, it was definitely him,” Daichi said confidently.

Noya seemed to be thinking about something as he chewed on the inside of his cheek. “That is seriously interesting. You see, Asahi is an editor, or, was, and it was fucking awesome. He worked on some really cool shit with the best of ‘em. Now he’s writing copy for some corporate asshole with the excuse that he needs to,” Noya made air quotes with his fingers, “save money, or something.”

Daichi shrugged. It didn’t seem like such a bad idea, but the venom in Noya’s words prevented him from voicing his opinion. 

“And now you tell me he’s running around with one of his writer buddies…” Noya dug around in his pockets for his phone and quickly tapped something on the screen.

“So, uh, Sugawara?” Daichi said to bring Noya’s attention back.

“Right!” Noya smiled brightly. “Looks like we don’t have anything here at the moment, but I can dig around and see what I come up with. Give me your number?”

Daichi wasn’t in the habit of giving his number to strangers. And, even if he were, he worked in the same mall and it wouldn’t be a bother to check in. In spite of himself, however, he thanked Noya and handed his phone over. Another surprise. “Thanks,” he said again as he slid his phone back into his pocket and looked at the picture on the wall. The background didn’t look like the store, which made him curious. “So, how do you know Asahi?”

“Do you want the rated R or PG-13 version?” Noya waggled his eyebrows with what Daichi assumed was supposed to be sex appeal. He suddenly understood how he and Hinata got along so well. 

“Is there a PG version?” Daichi asked hopefully. 

“I don’t know, Daichi, is there a PG version of ‘fuck buddy that I want to keep forever and ever, until the sun swallows the earth?’”

Daichi cleared his throat and laughed internally that he thought he was too forward with his questions. “No, okay. Got it, thanks. I should be going.” His half hour was almost up and he accomplished what he had come in to do, but he didn’t move from the counter. The fact that Noya might know Suga, or at least know more about him was infinitely intriguing. A group of customers walked into the store, though, and he came to his senses. He had other lunch breaks. 

“Text you in a couple days with more news! Thanks for visiting! Tell Hinata I say hi,” Noya shouted after him.

Daichi tucked his forgotten sandwich under his arm and stared at the new contact in his phone. When he got back to the store, Hinata was still gushing about the con to Tanaka and Daichi ducked into the office. 

Hours later, when Daichi emerged, Hinata was still talking about the con, this time specifically about Kageyama. Tanaka had asked about the book signing again, like he hadn’t heard it twice already, and Daichi couldn’t help but wonder he did it to annoy him or if it was because telling the story made Hinata light up like a Christmas tree. He suspected it was a little bit of both. Tanaka was quite good at killing two birds with one stone, the birds being annoying the crap of Daichi and making Hinata boil over with energy. 

At closing time, Daichi came out of the office after putting the cash in the safe and took a look around. The shirts that Hinata was supposed to have folded were still a mess and there was a pile of shredded paper on carpet that Tanaka was supposed to have vacuumed. Instead of doing their closing tasks, Tanaka laid on the table across from Hinata like a playboy pin-up and Hinata howled with laughter. Daichi cleared his throat and they both jumped out of their skins and into action.

Hinata hummed and flipped sleeves over while Tanaka pushed the vacuum quickly and sung at the top of his lungs. As long as Ennoshita didn’t have to open a filthy store in the morning, Daichi accepted their methods. He pulled the register sales printout from the receipt printer and took it to the back to enter it into the log, as he always did, just like any other night, or so Daichi thought. All of a sudden, he heard Hinata scream bloody murder and, on instinct, he jumped out from behind the desk and bust out of the back room like a bat out of hell, only to find Tanaka whooping like a monkey on cocaine and Hinata sprinting in circles with his hands in the air. 

“What the flying FUCK is happening?” Daichi shouted, successfully halting the dancing idiots in their tracks. 

Hinata held up his phone and jumped up and down. Tanaka started whooping again, this time with one of Hinata’s hastily folded shirts swinging above his head. 

Daichi's eye twitched. A blood vessel was going to burst in his brain. This was how he was going to die. “You guys need to tell me what the hell is going on right now. God! You do not scream bloody murder unless one of you is being held up with a fucking machete!” Daichi took deep breaths to slow his heart rate and saw Michimiya peek out of the grate in front of the shoe store. He gave her a half-hearted thumbs up, and then looked back to the two biggest morons in the mall. “Alright, seriously, someone needs to tell me what’s going on before I actually kill someone.”

Hinata tried to speak, but couldn’t. Tears gleamed in his eyes. He mouthed silently. 

Daichi had just about had it. “Are you crying? Hinata, what the... Tanaka? Help?”

Tanaka looked at Hinata, his phone clutched to his chest with white knuckles, and cleared his throat. He closed his eyes and opened them slowly. It took every single bit of Daichi’s worn-down veil of patience to not jump over there and strangle the both of them. 

“It seems that Master Kageyama has bestowed a text upon our young friend,” Tanaka said with a bow.

Hinata nodded with his eyes closed and tears streamed down his cheeks. 

Daichi realized his mouth was open and clicked his jaw shut. “Kageyama Tobio texted you? Like, actually?” 

“YES!” Hinata managed. He jumped at Daichi and the latter caught Hinata’s phone as it was tossed to him. Daichi checked the screen. 

From: Unknown Number  
Can’t believe you gave your number to a stranger. Dumbass.

Daichi was happy for Hinata, really, but the anger swelling up in his chest told a different story. Maybe he was the Hulk after all. “Are you freaking kidding me? This is what all the commotion’s about?” Hinata looked down at the floor and kicked at the carpet with his sneakers. Daichi’s anger faded just enough for guilt to rear its ugly head. “How do you know it’s him?” He asked in a calmer voice.

Hinata looked up with the same excitement from before. Another fine example of how Hinata played him like a fiddle. “I just know! Dumbass is our thing!”

“Your thing," Daichi said, unimpressed. "That’s a pretty generic insult.”

“Hey, if Hinata feels it, then it’s probably him,” Tanaka added.

Daichi squinted at the two of them. “If he feels it? I’m not sure there’s any room for debate here, it’s either yes or no.”

They ignored him; Hinata stared at his phone and Tanaka leaned over his shoulder. “You gonna text him back?”

“Fuck yeah,” Hinata said quickly. His fingers flew over the screen. He tapped the send button with a flourish and jumped to high five Tanaka, who had waited for him to finish with baited breath.

“Well?” Daichi asked, tired of being ignored and now involved in the drama, whether he wanted to be or not.

“Well, what?” Hinata blinked. “I have to finish folding the shirts. We shouldn’t be staring at our phones when we’re trying to close the store.”

Tanaka snorted and rolled up the cord to the vacuum. “Yeah, Daichi, we don’t want to be here all night.”

Those devious shits. “I don’t know why I keep you two around,” he grumbled. Tanaka cackled in the background.

Thirty minutes after they were supposed to have gone home, the three of them locked up and left the mall. Tanaka gave Hinata a big bear hug and whispered something in his ear before breaking away and telling Daichi that he’d see him later in the week. Hinata and Daichi walked toward Daichi’s car, parked a little further away. 

“So?” 

“So what?” Hinata parroted.

“You know what.”

Hinata shrugged coyly, but said nothing.

“Did you at least make sure that it was him?” Daichi asked.

“I did. And he might be meeting me at the food court this weekend to look at some of my sketches.”

“That’s really great, Hinata,” Daichi smiled and rubbed his back, then, he gripped the back of Hinata’s shirt. “But if you ever scream like that during a non-emergency again you will be fired,” Daichi growled.

“Eek!” Hinata jumped. “You wouldn’t?” 

He wouldn’t, but Hinata didn’t have to know that. “Just try me again sometime. See where it gets you.”

They got to the car and buckled up. 

“If you want, I’ll ask him about Suga,” Hinata said nonchalantly.

“No.”

“Please?”

The idea made his stomach leap into his throat. What good would that do anyone? Suga would lose interest in a heartbeat and everyone would be disappointed. He just had this conversation and thinking about it depressed him. “No.”

“Aw,” Hinata whined and flopped his hands into his lap. “Why not? I saw you checking him out at the con. And Tanaka said he saw his name in the search history on the computer.”

Daichi stopped short at the red light. The cover of night hid the embarrassed flush on his cheeks. “That’s not, no. Wait, why is Tanaka looking at the search history?”

“So he can delete the porn he watches when it’s slow.” Hinata said it like it was something Daichi should know.

"Good lord." It was hard for Daichi to focus on the road. Tanaka watched porn on the work computer, that computer that was monitored by corporate. Great. And, holy hell, now he was thinking about Suga and porn and he did not need another thing to keep him up at night. And, double hell, he really did not need Hinata’s relentless energy focused on this particular topic of conversation. 

“So…” Hinata continued. “Can I tell Kageyama that you’re interested in Suga? I mean, you’re attracted to him, you guys bonded a little, and you were looking him up on the computer instead of working,” he counted the reasons on his fingers. 

“No.”

“What if I send a 100% Daichi approved message?” 

“No.”

“Maybe we can go on a double date this weekend?”

“No! Hinata, just,” Daichi glanced over to catch his eye. “Stop, please,” he begged.

To Hinata’s credit and Daichi’s surprise, he did. Well, he didn’t really stop so much as start swooning over Kageyama again.

“I cannot BELIEVE I have a date with Kageyama Tobio this weekend.”

“Does he know it’s a date?” 

Hinata waggled his eyebrows just like Noya did. They really were two peas in one absurdly hormonal pod. “Not yet!”

He talked about Kageyama the entire way back to his apartment complex. Daichi let him out, relieved to not have carry him this time, and drove home in silence. He appreciated the quiet. It didn’t needle him about stupid, impossible ideas and hot writers with incredible laughs and tight jeans and soft hair and complexly beautiful hazel eyes.

It was late by the time he got back, but he slid in front of his laptop one last time before getting ready for bed, just in case he missed something that weekend, or something new popped up in Google alerts. Sugawara Koushi. Nothing new. Daichi crossed his fingers that Noya would be able to come up with something, and soon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 2/2 double update completed. Yay. Suga's story idea was VERY loosely based on the series Crossed by Garth Ennis. 
> 
> Thanks so much for reading and hope you enjoy the chapter! Sorry again for the weird timing! Updates in a week or two!


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Daichi gets new reading material, Tanaka makes a friend, and Hinata and Kageyama get close.

The phone on his bedside table buzzed, waking him from the longest stretch of rest he had gotten in days. Daichi groaned and rolled as far away as he could. It was Thursday, his one day off before weekend, and the last thing he wanted to do was open his eyes. The phone buzzed again and he buried his face in his pillow. More buzzing. Daichi wondered how bad would it be if he ignored it, but then the image of Tanaka carrying Hinata over the burning rubble of Sports World with flags made of athletic socks and rain jackets flashed through his head. Daichi flung his covers off with a defeated sigh.

    From: Unknown Number  
    YO daichi! Got ur books. Workin?

    From: Unknown Number  
    Sorry man. Its noya. 

    From: Unknown Number  
    Tell hina i say hiiiii if u see him

Daichi sat up and squinted at the screen. He could ignore it, go back to sleep, and respond later. It was his day off, after all, and he would be back at the mall first thing the next morning. Noya would understand. Daichi glanced over to his laptop, open on his desk. He had no luck with his research the night before, either, and to think that Noya was sitting on Suga’s books just a short drive away made Daichi unreasonably anxious. He tapped out a response. 

    To: Nishinoya  
    Thank you! See you in a half hour?

Not even ten minutes later, Daichi was fully dressed and in the car, on the way to the mall, on his day off. He recognized the absurdity of the situation, but couldn’t find it within himself to lament it. He was entirely absorbed by the anticipation of getting his hands on Suga’s books. 

Careful to avoid Sports World and whatever issue he would inevitably get sucked into there, Daichi parked in the lot on the other side of the main entrance. He checked the time. Ennoshita would be there in thirty minutes to take care of whatever trouble his employees caused and Daichi sent yet another prayer of thanks into the universe for his beleaguered and supremely patient assistant manager. 

On the second story escalator, Daichi celebrated his escape from the first floor one second too soon. He felt someone push past him, so he moved, but the person stayed. Daichi made eye contact and pinched the bridge of his nose. “Aren’t you supposed to be working?” 

Tanaka leaned on the railing. “Goin’ up to get a smoothie quick. Aren’t you supposed to be asleep?”

Daichi prayed that, if he kept it short and sweet, Tanaka would get bored and leave him alone. “Had quicks errands to do.”

“Errands? On the third floor of the mall? The very same mall you can’t wait to get away from at the end of the day?” Tanaka quirked his eyebrows and crossed his arms over his chest. 

Daichi only nodded and restrained himself from smacking the smug grin off Tanaka’s face. They reached the third floor and he waved when he thought they would part ways, but Tanaka was having none of it and followed him closely. “Weren’t you getting a smoothie?”

“Eh, not thirsty anymore.”

“Perfect,” Daichi muttered as they approached Noya’s store. He would just be in and out quickly, so quickly that Tanaka wouldn’t get a word in edgewise and he could escape without interrogation.

Noya greeted Daichi with a gleeful yelp and, as soon as his eyes met Tanaka’s, Daichi knew he was doomed. He swore he saw sparks fly between them. And, as much as he wanted to ignore Tanaka, grab his books, and leave, he knew he’d feel bad if he didn’t introduce them properly. He also knew that he’d never hear the end of it if he didn’t. “Noya, hey, thanks for the text. This is Tanaka, he works with us at Sports World.”

Tanaka raised his head proudly and Noya jumped over the desk to shake his hand. “Hey! Hinata tells me all of your stories. You guys have epic times, dude.”

“You don’t even know,” Tanaka laughed. He looked around. “You the only one here?”

Noya snorted. “Yeah, boring as fuck. But at least I don’t really have a boss to suck the fun outta everything.”

“That’s a sweet deal, man,” Tanaka jerked his thumb over his shoulder. “I’m stuck with this wet blanket.”

“You really don’t value your job, do you?” Daichi said darkly. Tanaka and Noya slowly turned to Daichi with the same pallor and wide eyes. He was glad he was still able to inspire a little fear. “You said you had some books for me?” 

Noya ran behind the register and, a couple seconds later, he popped up with two well-worn books and a few paper booklets. Noya handed the bound books to Daichi, but gripped the packets of paper. 

“Asahi had a bunch of copies of both books lying around his place, so no worries about returning them. These, on the other hand,” Noya smoothed the booklets out on the counter, “are a super special treat. Even I had never even seen them before. It was a zine Suga did with the heavenliest of heavenly bodies, a sick, sick mind in a beautiful, amazing, perfect bod-”

Daichi interrupted Noya’s gushing to see the covers. “Ah,” Daichi pointed at the name under Suga’s, “I saw her at the con, too. She was at the panel.”

Noya stared at Daichi without blinking. No one said anything, so Tanaka glanced at the name and plugged “Shimizu Kiyoko” into his phone. When the google image search revealed her face, he dropped his phone and grabbed Daichi’s shoulders. “You met an actual angel and didn’t think to tell me? I can’t believe you would betray me like that! Does our friendship mean nothing to you?” 

While Tanaka shook Daichi’s shoulders, Noya rushed around to join the party. Daichi smacked their hands away so hard his own hand stung.

“Fine, fine. Hey!” Noya chirped at Tanaka. “We can look at pictures of the perfect and almighty Kiyoko while Daichi drools over his own super crush. Whaddya say?”

Tanaka’s eyebrows hit the ceiling and Daichi’s previous transgression faded into the background. “Daichi has a super crush? Well, well. Ladies come first obviously, but,” he turned to Daichi, “we're going to talk about this.”

Daichi clutched the books and zines to his chest. Couldn’t he just like a guy’s work? And the guy’s face? And his bright laugh and honeyed eyes? Tanaka and Noya occupied themselves behind the register counter, so Daichi flipped open one of the zines. He opened it up to a full-page illustration of a person that looked like he was forcibly turned inside-out.

Noya perked up when Daichi coughed to cover his gag reflex. “Told ya it was sick.”

Daichi ignored him, and the zines for the time being, and opted for flipping through the books. The pages were dog-eared, words were underlined, and there were faint pencil markings in the margins. Asahi, Daichi assumed, had taken great care with Suga’s books. It made him smile for reasons that weren't entirely clear.

“I know this is sudden,” Tanaka purred to Noya, “but wanna come get a smoothie with me?”

Daichi looked up to see Noya with his hands under his chin and his eyes sparkling with delight. “I thought you’d never ask!” He grabbed Tanaka’s arm and pulled him out of the store. Tanaka turned around to salute. “We’ll be back! You’re cool, right? Thanks Daichi! You’re the best”

It took a full minute for Daichi to react. He blinked slowly and looked around the store, at the shelves of books, tables of boxed figurines, and wall racks lined neatly with the newest issues of at least fifty different comic series. “What?” Daichi said to the empty store. 

Well, he thought, at least the store was deserted. And even if it weren’t, he was a damn good manager! He had a Captain America pin, safely tucked in his wallet, to prove it! And he went to the comic convention that weekend. He cracked his knuckles and braced himself in front of the counter. How hard could it be?

As soon as he asked himself the question, a large group of girls walked into the store and went straight for him, like eagles descending upon an unsuspecting mouse. 

 

“So I freakin’ caught the ball before it fell into the display, but then I rolled into it anyway!” Noya clutched his stomach in tears while Tanaka jumped to imitate the move. 

Daichi heard them come back, but he was too busy getting a colorful earful from the terrifying girl in front of him. He sweated bullets as he frantically scrolled through the search results on his phone for some bizarre indie comic that he wasn't even sure he was spelling right. He was going to ask her to spell the name again when Noya swooped in to save the day.

“Yukie! Whatta coincidence! I’ve got the second volume aside for you special. Just came yesterday!”

“Thank god.” Yukie pointed a painted nail at Daichi. “This guy doesn’t know shit. You should fire him.”

“Daichi, you’re fired!” Tanaka bellowed between peals of laughter.

Yukie huffed out of the store, comic in hand, and Tanaka wiped tears from his eyes. Oh, he could have his fun, Daichi fumed, but he would get his. Daichi thanked Noya for his help and pulled Tanaka out of the store by the collar of his Sports World polo. 

Tanaka didn’t seem the least bit fazed and let out a blissful sigh. “That’s one awesome dude. So, boss man, you got the hots for this Suga guy or what?”

“I just like his writing,” Daichi replied curtly. It wasn’t a lie. He did like the little that he read of it on the internet, even if it made him squirm. Tanaka did not need any more ammunition than that.

“Interesting,” Tanaka tapped his fingertips together like a villain in a James Bond movie. "That’s not what Hinata told me about your little comic con adventure.”

“Shut up, Tanaka.”

He side-eyed Daichi. “You do see why I’m curious, though, right? You’re here on your day off and, honest to god, I’ve never heard you talk about books before.”

“I read books,” Daichi grumbled, reminded yet again of his conversation with Michimiya earlier in the week. What exactly did everyone think of him? 

“I know you CAN read.” Tanaka tried to dodge the punch aimed at his head.

“Don’t you have work to do?”

Tanaka checked his phone. “Crap! Yeah. Ennoshita’s gonna be pissed. See ya this weekend!” He ran off with a sloppy salute.

Daichi texted Ennoshita to ask him to make Tanaka mop the office floor, dust every square inch of the back room, and spray each tester shoe individually. He hummed on his way out of the mall and swung his car keys on his finger, books and zines safely tucked under his arm, feeling triumphant despite his failed attempt at managing the comic book store.

 

A couple days later, on Saturday morning, Daichi yawned as he priced a new shipment of tennis balls and absent-mindedly watched Tanaka help a kid with new sneakers. Tanaka tied them up and told the kid to take a lap around the shoe area, which the kid did with reckless abandon. While he ran around the store, Tanaka shamelessly flirted with the poor woman that accompanied the kid. Customers came streaming in and out of the store and the hours passed quickly, Tanaka's attention on the customers and Daichi's on the weekend ordering report. Daichi thanked the universe for this small mercy and stifled another yawn. He was especially tired that morning because he cracked open the first of Suga's books as soon as he got home on Thursday, read it late into Thursday night, spent the day after, Friday, tapping his fingers anxiously on the register desk, rushed home and dove into the book, not putting it down until he turned the last page, just a couple hours before he had to go to work that morning. A smarter man would've paced himself, Daichi admitted, but he had forgotten how much he loved reading, and he had fallen specifically for Suga's prose. 

Suga had a strange knack for violent imagery and biting dialogue, which made him wince more often than he’d ever admit out loud, but he didn’t think the violence was gratuitous, or the dialogue too harsh. In fact, through Suga’s words, the brutal became tender, somehow. It was amazing. Daichi had trouble understanding how Suga wasn’t more popular, or why he hadn’t published anything in years. Michimiya texted him while he was on his break about going out - because it was Saturday! - but he was anxious to get home and start the second book. And maybe even work his way up to finishing one of the zines. Daichi chuckled to himself. 

He heard his name from the last person he expected to see that day and it brought him out of his head and back into the world. “Hinata?” Daichi cocked his head. “Why’re you here? I thought you were meeting Kageyama today, oh.” He recognized the tall, grumpy man that stood a few steps behind. Tanaka appeared out of thin air and peered around Daichi’s shoulder with interest. 

“Yeah! We already talked a bunch at the food court, so I wanted to bring him by to meet you guys and see my store!” 

Kageyama took a couple steps forward to stand next to Hinata and looked between Daichi and Tanaka. He did a double-take at Daichi and nodded in recognition. 

“Kageyama, it’s good to see you again. Sawamura Daichi.”

“Good to see you too,” Kageyama echoed. Hinata introduced him to Tanaka and dragged him all over the store. He pointed out his favorite merchandise, made gestures, and acted out a few of his and Tanaka’s escapades. The corners of Kageyama’s mouth lifted when Hinata turned away, and he watched Hinata intently. It didn’t seem like any detail was lost on him, no matter how mundane or outrageous. It reminded Daichi of the other guy at the panel, Tsukishima? They hadn't seemed to get along, as Daichi remembered, but they seemed to have observation in common. It made him wonder if all writers were like that. 

He heard Tanaka greet a customer at the same time that a family approached the register for a big purchase, so Daichi refocused on the interaction that he was actually being paid to handle. When the transaction was over, however, Daichi looked around the store for a head of red hair, but found no one. He made eye contact with Tanaka and mouthed Hinata’s name, to which he pointed toward the back room. 

Daichi walked over to the backroom door, pulled it open and blinked. He stared at the skin on Kageyama's back, his shirt pushed up by small, tattooed hands and orange Converses wrapped around his waist. Hinata was ground against the wall, his head thrown back in pleasure and as Kageyama kissed down his neck. 

Tanaka, appearing from out of nowhere, whistled from the doorway. “Yeah baby!” 

Kageyama froze and Hinata lazily opened his eyes. Kageyama immediately dropped Hinata on his butt and whipped around, two hands covering the crotch of his pants. Daichi noticed Kageyama was half-hard and he took a deep, fortifying breath. Through gritted teeth, as calmly as he could, Daichi hissed, “Is there any way you two could go elsewhere to relieve your urges?” He pointed to the security cameras. 

“Hinata!” Kageyama shouted. “Dumbass! There are cameras?!”

Hinata dusted himself off and bit his lower lip. “Yeah, but, it’s kinda hot, though, right?”

Kageyama’s face was so red that Daichi was afraid he would spontaneously combust. He turned to scream at Hinata, who hopped up and gave it right back. Daichi pushed Tanaka out and shouted over his shoulder, “you two better be out of there in two minutes!”

Outside the door, Tanaka had his hands crossed behind his head. “Dude’s hot. Hinata was not kidding around. Yo, they should totally film themselves doing it.”

“Tanaka. Shut. Up.” Daichi said icily. 

“What? You stood there and watched like a creeper. Didn’t know you had kinks, daddy,” Tanaka cooed. 

“Don’t ever call me that again,” Daichi spit. 

“What? Daddy?” 

Daichi whacked Tanaka over the head, and he whimpered. "But seriously though, I’m happy for him.” 

It wasn’t what Daichi had expected to hear and he wasn't sure how he felt about the situation, apart from the impending dread of regional management finding out what his employees did in their back room. “Why? Because they made out in a public place? They barely know each other.”

Tanaka seemed taken aback by the comment, like it was unreasonable. “So?”

“So? They were practically fucking in the back of a store. Kageyama had never been here before, and Hinata, I assumed, wanted to keep his job?” 

Tanaka took Daichi’s words into consideration. “I love you, my brother-manager, but you need to chill. They’re both adults. Hinata’s just a shop guy and Kageyama is some sort of nerd celebrity. Let ‘em have a little fun?” Tanaka snorted suddenly. “And wait, that’s your idea of practically fucking?”

Daichi let the last comment go because he had a point. Damn it when Tanaka made good points; they snuck up on him out of nowhere, in between dancing to the Justin Bieber that blared at them from the corporate playlist and wearing shoes on his hands and trying to walk on them. Daichi rested his chin in his palm and tried to ignore the real reason he was put off by the whole thing. He could think of another write he wouldn't mind pushing up against a wall. Jealousy was an ugly, invasive creature.

Hinata and Kageyama came out of the back room exactly two minutes later. Poor Kageyama couldn’t make eye contact, reiterated that it was nice to meet them, and that he was sorry, and that they had to leave. Together. Hinata shouted something about putting words in his mouth as Kageyama pushed him out of the store. 

Another, more welcome, voice interjected and Daichi felt the tension ease from his shoulders. “Did I miss something?” 

Tanaka clapped his assistant manager on the back. “Hey, hey, Ennoshita! You’re early!” 

“I’m right on time,” Ennoshita deadpanned. 

“Yeah, man. Just messing with you,” Tanaka joked. 

Ennoshita smiled back, but his eyes shone like a blade. “Mess with me some more and I’ll find even more unpleasant work for you to do." 

Daichi patted Ennoshita on the shoulder with a smile that reached his ears while Tanaka prostrated himself on the floor and begged for mercy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ooooops, way more behind than I thought I was. And super distracted by things that are less fun. Also, I read yesterday that you should never open a story/chapter with someone waking up. Well, frick. I did it anyway. Sorry guys.
> 
> My goal is to finish the story (10-11 chapters) by the first week in December? So maybe not a million years between updates?
> 
> Thanks again for the support again, it means the world to me. I appreciate you taking the time to read my stuff! Next chapter, Suga-baby!


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hinata has a surprise for Daichi.

Hinata was smiling. Not his normal, bubbly smile, but a conniving, mischievous one. 

Daichi narrowed his eyes at him from across the store. Hinata took a shirt, slipped the folding board between the layers of fabric, and folded the sleeves behind it. He repeated the action over and over without changing his expression.

So, not only was he smiling, but he was completing his daily tasks without objection. Daichi looked at the list for the day, clipped haphazardly to the top of their register clipboard. Usually, it was decorated in the the doodles Hinata drew to procrastinate, but, that day, the sheet was bare except for large red sharpie checkmarks and Hinata’s initials. 

And it was quiet. Too quiet. 

It had been a couple weeks since the back room incident, and, since then, Hinata had not been quiet for two minutes together. He and Kageyama had apparently spent as much waking time together as humanly possible, and Hinata had no qualms about spilling every single detail of every single minute. Some of the things he blabbed about were just random tidbits from their days. For example, Daichi learned that Kageyama really liked milk, but he didn’t like milk in things, only liked it by itself. Daichi waved goodbye to whatever bit of important information or past memory that was pushed out of his brain to make way for the knowledge of Kageyama’s dairy preference.

When Daichi wasn’t getting barrel rolled by insignificant details, he was waterboarded with stories that were entirely inappropriate for the store and Daichi had, on more than one occasion, physically put his hand over Hinata’s mouth to shield customers from his graphic descriptions of the way Kageyama blushed when Hinata felt him up in public, or how he stopped functioning for a full two minutes after Hinata had shown him some particularly lewd drawings from his sketchbooks. 

But sometimes, on very special occasions, when Hinata wasn’t talking about his sexual escapades or Kageyama’s daily routines, he gushed about the creative projects that seemed to surge from them like waterfalls after the snow melts, and Daichi lapped them up. He leaned on his elbows, rapt, while Hinata told him about a group of people with extraordinary abilities that were standoffish and rude, but noble and powerful. Or a story about the first woman to ever survive the bite of a werewolf and turn into one herself, and then leading her own pack despite thousands of years of werewolf patriarchy. 

Daichi looked at Hinata again. He was still folding clothes, silent as the grave. At the very beginning of their shift that day, when Daichi had asked him how he was doing, he got a one-word answer. To his other questions, Hinata proffered only vague gestures. His first full sentence came when he asked Daichi if he had any plans for the evening, and when Daichi said that he didn’t, Hinata went googly-eyed, almost like he did when he was talking about Kageyama. Daichi asked why it mattered, and Hinata had just shrugged. After that, it was radio silence. For hours. Everything about it made his skin crawl and Daichi couldn’t take it any more. 

“So, Hinata.” Daichi approached him casually and pretended to look over the knee pads hanging on the wall. “Why’d you want to know if I was doing anything tonight?”

Hinata averted his eyes and kept dusting the packages.

“You’re going to ignore your manager? Your friend?” It was a low blow, but Daichi was desperate.

Hinata stiffened and puffed out his cheeks. He squeezed his mouth shut like he was trying to hold his breath. Or keep himself from talking. Daichi raised an eyebrow. “You know,” Daichi picked a package of kneepads off the wall and put it on the correct hook, “if you were hiding something, especially something that had to do with me, I’d be pretty upset.”

Hinata tried to walk away, but Daichi grabbed the back of his shirt.

“Luckily for me, I have a secret weapon,” Daichi inched closer, “and I’m not afraid to use it!” He wiggled his fingers and lunged. 

“I. Can’t. Tell. You! Really!” Hinata managed between gasps of breath and choked laughter. “It’s. A. Surprise!” 

Daichi stopped tickling him. “A surprise?”

Hinata clutched his stomach and took rapid breaths. A real smile returned to his flushed face. “Yeah! A surprise! For you!”

“Oh god.” Daichi let Hinata go and he scrambled out of reach. The last time Hinata had tried to surprise him, they ended up having to pick individual confetti pieces out of the store rug on their hands and knees because Hinata had forgotten that the store vacuum wasn’t working and threw confetti everywhere. Daichi’s spent his birthday weekend in bed, sleeping on an ice pack. He wasn't the biggest fan of surprises. “What is it?”

“I can’t tell you.”

“Can’t or won’t?”

Hinata scratched his head and ran fingers through his hair. “Both?”

A phantom pain shot up Daichi’s spine and he shuddered. “Just tell me.”

“It’s a good surprise, I promise. No confetti in rugs.” Hinata promised. He crossed his finger over his heart, right where the Sports World logo was embroidered.  
“Can you tell me anything?”

Hinata frowned. “I don’t know…I guess I can say that it’s happening tonight! Definitely maybe by the end of our shift.”

“Definitely maybe,” Daichi repeated. He braced himself for another long couple of hours.

 

As the end of the day neared and customers made their way to the register with their final purchases, Hinata’s phone buzzed in his pocket. They weren’t allowed to have their phones on them, but Daichi figured it was close enough to the end of the day that it didn’t really matter. It definitely wasn’t because he was curious about the surprise.

Hinata picked up the phone. “Bakageyama! What’d I tell you about calling me while I was at work?” He laughed loudly and Daichi swore he heard Kageyama arguing a point on the other end. Hinata cast a furtive look toward Daichi. “Fine, fine, yeah, I know I told you to call. Hey! I’m not an idiot!” Tinny shouting erupted from the phone. “I can’t say anything now, but is everything happening soon? It’s almost time to close the store... Shut up! I didn’t say anything to him!” 

As much as Daichi loved listening to Hinata scream at Kageyama who was, apparently, in on whatever scheme Hinata had concocted, they had actual jobs to do, and Daichi was anxious to end a stressful shift. “Hey, Hinata, shut your trap and get back to work!”

“Gotta go, see ya - aw, he hung up on me,” Hinata moaned. 

“Surprise, surprise,” Daichi mumbled. 

Not five minutes after Hinata hung up the phone, and ten minutes before they were supposed to close the store, Hinata suddenly leapt up and covered Daichi’s eyes with both hands. Daichi’s heart pounded in his chest and he tried to mentally prepare himself for what must undoubtedly be Hinata’s surprise. He heard the chime that meant someone had just entered the store. “There better be a very good reason for blinding me when someone has literally just stepped into the store,” Daichi warned. 

Hinata shushed him and Daichi heard the shuffling footsteps approach them. He was just about to rip Hinata’s hands from his face when Hinata lifted them himself and shouted “surprise!”

Daichi blinked a couple of times to readjust to the light. Hinata was there with a hand through Kageyama’s arm, the latter staring daggers at nothing, which wasn’t entirely unexpected, but the third person almost caused him to step back in shock. 

“Heard I had a new fan! ‘Sup?” 

Sugawara Koushi, the actual person, stood in front of him, and smiled with a wattage that Daichi was sure he had never seen contained in any one single face. He wasn’t wearing a beanie this time, so Daichi could tell how long his hair was, and admire the way it shimmered across his forehead, curled at the ends and behind his ears, and dripped down the nape of his neck like mercury. There was one tuft of hair, on the top of his head, that was immune to gravity, and it bounced when Suga lifted his hand to wave. 

They locked eyes and, even though Daichi had thought about those eyes constantly since the day he followed Hinata as he bounced from table to table at the con, his shoddy memory was nothing compared to the real thing. It was funny, Daichi thought. He spent his days cursing the awful fluorescent lights of the store, but Suga’s eyes caught the light and each shade of brown, the coffee, the caramel, all of them, flickered and danced like they there alive.

“Daichi? Hey?”

He hated himself for how much he loved the way his name sounded from Suga’s lips. “You remember me?”

“Aw, I’m a little disheartened that you think I could forget such a handsome face,” Suga said with a pout. 

Daichi was suddenly very self-conscious. He looked down at his stupid uniform pants and his standard-issue white polo with Sports World emblazoned across his chest. He swallowed hard. Hinata laughed into his hand, the one that wasn’t in Kageyama’s. 

“Really, though, are you okay? You look like you’ve just seen a ghost.” Suga stepped close to him and peered into his eyes. 

Daichi laughed. That was one way of putting it. “Yeah, hi, sorry. I’m just surprised.”

Suga clasped his hands together. “Well, good! That was the point!” 

“It worked,” Daichi admitted. Suga’s sleeves slipped down his wrist to reveal yet another beguiling mole on his skin, and he looked at Daichi like he also sort of couldn’t believe it was happening. 

Hinata elbowed Kageyama sharply. He retaliated quickly and cleared his throat. “We told Suga that you were interested in his writing and he really wanted to see you again.”

“And,” Hinata butted in, “you said you didn’t have plans, so there’s no excuse for you to not come out with us tonight!”

“I was getting there!” Kageyama shot at Hinata.

“You were too slow,” Hinata challenged in a serious voice.

Suga put his arm around Kageyama’s neck. “Aw, your bickering is so cute.” He started to sing, “Kageyama and Hinata sitting in a tree…”

Kageyama whipped his head around and stared at Suga. They looked at each other for a couple minutes before Suga let out a long, dramatic sigh.

“Geez, Tobio, when’d you get to be such a buzzkill?” he asked and rubbed the back of Kageyama’s head. 

“Yeah, Tobio,” Hinata taunted.

Daichi laughed at the three of them, but the clock on the wall caught his eye. One minute past close. 

“Something wrong?” Suga asked, his hand in Kageyama’s mussed hair.

Daichi scratched the nape of his neck. “I hate to interrupt, but Hinata and I have to close up the store.” 

Suga knitted his eyebrows and a crease formed above the bridge of his nose. Daichi barely resisted the urge to reach out and smooth it with his finger.

“So, you’re coming out with us, right?” Hinata asked. 

Daichi looked at Suga again. The crease was gone and, instead, his eyes were wide and his lips parted in a small smile. There was no way he could refuse him anything, even if everything in him screamed that it would be too good to be true. “Of course.”

They quickly agreed on a time and place, and Suga dragged Kageyama out of the store. Hinata vibrated with excited energy, so he cleaned, folded, and vacuumed at warp speed, but Daichi had never been more nervous in his life and he didn’t know how to handle it. He had to re-enter the closing sales numbers in the spreadsheet at least three times. Then, he dropped the cash drawer on the floor and accidentally ripped the sales report receipt in half. As he changed into the spare clothes he kept in his gym bag, he whacked his elbow on the wall and hissed in pain. On the way out, he hit his shoulder on the door frame. How many times had he gone through that door before? And since when did going out make him nervous?

Hinata was tapping his foot anxiously when Daichi emerged from the office. They locked up the store and walked across the parking lot. 

 

“So you’re not mad?” Hinata asked sheepishly. 

Daichi looked into the night sky. He should’ve been mad. He never asked for any of it. In fact, he had explicitly asked Hinata to not do anything. Daichi had contented himself with admiring Suga from afar, simply imagining what it would’ve been like to see him again, to tell him he was amazing. He was happy to curl up with his books, both of which he had already read by that point, and skim them for sentences that he might’ve missed the first couple of times. It was easier that way. There was no one to be disappointed and no one to disappoint. No surprises. But seeing Suga again, in the flesh, tore his walls down embarrassingly fast. “I should be,” he finally admitted. 

“I’m really sorry, it’s just, when I mentioned to Kageyama that you were asking about Suga, his eyes got all wide.” Hinata scowled in a surprisingly accurate imitation of Kageyama’s face and plastered his hair to his face to mock the way Kageyama’s hung haphazardly over his forehead. He gruffed an octave lower than his own voice, “what the hell, dumbass Hinata? Suga’s been asking about him, too.”

Daichi snorted. “You’re getting to be a pretty good liar.”

“Why’s it so hard to believe that Suga remembered you?” Hinata asked with genuine curiosity. It broke Daichi’s heart. The world wasn't as pretty as Hinata sometimes made it out to be in that creative brain of his.

“I’m just a random dude who happened to be friends with his protege’s,” Daichi gestured ineloquently toward Hinata, “stalker.” 

Hinata laughed. “Hey, remember when you said you’d go on a double date with us after Kageyama and I met?”

Daichi groaned. “So I made my bed and have to lie in it, huh?”

“Yup,” Hinata chirped and tilted his head. “But I still don’t understand why you don’t think Suga would’ve remembered you? I mean,” Hinata fidgeted with his hands, “even if he didn’t, because I’m sure he meets a lot of people, why did you assume he wouldn’t, or that I was lying?”

Why would Suga remember someone like Daichi? Suga was the most beautiful person he had ever seen in his life. Daichi was nothing out of the ordinary. Suga was a published writer, supremely talented, with his name out there in the world. Daichi was a store manager, interchangeable at best, content to stay anonymous. Suga’s head was probably filled with blood and gore and bits of humans and zombies and stories and ideas and founts of words overflowing. Daichi’s head was full of corporate directives and what he would eat for dinner and hideous fluorescent lights.

But there was no need to say any of that aloud. The last thing he wanted to do was burden Hinata with his self-doubt, so he shrugged and apologized. Hinata, strapped into the passenger seat, told him it was okay, but didn’t push the issue any further and hummed along to the radio. Daichi kept his eyes on the road and wondered how long into their get-together it would take for Suga to realize that they were worlds apart.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you all are finding strength, solace, and comfort where you can this week. If you need to talk, vent, or browse a hot mess of a blog, find me on tumblr @jellyryans.
> 
> Thanks so much for your support and for reading. Tune in next week for an entire chapter dedicated to daisuga fluff because christ knows we need a little fluff and love. Well, I do, at least. 
> 
> Hearts all around. Stay safe, my darlings, and see you soon.


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The surprise is a success and Suga is pleased.

A waitress walked by with a small silver platter and Suga raised his head to get a better look. On the platter, in the dead center, was a giant milkshake, topped with mile-high whipped cream, a glistening black cherry, like dried blood, Suga noted, and two shiny red straws bent at exact right angles. Suga clapped his hands and nudged Kageyama with enough force to almost knock him over.

“Hinata wasn’t kidding about this place. It’s straight out of a movie!” Suga brought his hands together in front of his chest. “Please tell me we’re going to share a milkshake like that as we stare into each other’s eyes?” He fluttered his eyelashes and brought his hands under his chin to plead. “Please?”

Kageyama blinked at him. “Why can't we just get two milkshakes?”

“Aw, what’s the fun in that? We could stare at each other all longingly and play footsie under the table. It’ll be great!”

“No,” Kageyama answered slowly, like he didn’t understand exactly what he was refusing to do. “Footies?” He asked. 

Suga ran his hand down his face. “Footsie, Kageyama. You've never heard that? It’s romantic!” 

“I still don’t understand what you’re talking about. Are you making things up again?” 

“No! Have you really never seen that before? In movies or shows or anything? I thought it was pretty universal. You know, for a guy who knows everything about everything, you can be really clueless,” Suga pointed out.

“Why would I care about things that don’t interest me?” Kageyama asked with question with more curiosity than malice.

“Nevermind Sherlock, forget it.” 

Suga rolled his eyes and tried to wave off the conversation, but Kageyama’s scowl softened. He blushed and ran his fingers through his hair, letting it fall over his eyes. “You really think I’m like Sherlock Holmes?” 

“That’s not necessarily a compliment,” Suga reminded him.

Kageyama’s phone buzzed with a notification and he growled. Suga peered over his shoulder. He recognized the format of the blog tried to grab the phone out of Kageyama’s hand, but Kageyama’s long arms and extra inches protected the device and kept it out of Suga’s reach. 

“I can’t believe you're still signed up for notifications on Tsukishima’s blog. You look like you’re going to kill someone.” Suga was a little miffed that Kageyama used his height against him, so he chose his revenge by pinching one of Kageyama’s cheeks. “Not that I don’t love you just the way you are, prickly exterior and all.” 

He wriggled out of Suga’s grasp. “He always starts it.” 

Suga didn’t point out the fact that Kageyama might not start anything, but he never did a hell of a lot to smooth things out between them. “You know we should stick together, right? Community and all that?” Kageyama nodded in agreement, but his mouth was still twisted into a grimace. “Come on. I can’t help but worry that the trench you two insist on digging will hurt everyone.”

This seemed to catch Kageyama's attention. “I know. It’s just, even when I try to say something nice to him, the words get stuck in my throat and all I can think of is how much I don’t like his face- ” Kageyama’s phone buzzed again. “Speaking of idiots,” he grumbled, “Hinata said he just left the mall with Daichi. They should be here in fifteen.”

Suga’s stomach fluttered pleasantly at the mention of Daichi’s name and he hummed his approval. Kageyama went back to his phone to tap out a reply with comically unnecessary force and Suga watched him. “Just thinking aloud here, but the only other person who gets more helpings of your fine-tuned grouchiness than Tsukishima is Hinata. I have to ask,” Suga whispered, “have you slept with Tsukishima, too?”

Kageyama looked like he was going to throw up on the spot.

“I mean, when you see Tsukishima’s face you clench your knuckles so hard that I’m actually afraid for your hands, and when you see Hinata, your shoulders tense and all you do is get up in his face and complain,” Suga listed the comparisons on his fingers. “It’s okay if you did, or do, but you can see why I’m concerned for you and your type.”

Kageyama chewed on Suga’s words and thought carefully before he spoke, even though his face and neck remained a charming shade of red. “They’re different, Hinata’s different. I’m hard on him because I know he can take it, and that he can be better. And don’t forget that he’s always shouting at me, too!”

“That’s certainly not hard to miss” Suga chuckled. “But can he take it? I mean, Tsukishima’s been in the business for a bit now, so he’s built up a fine, calloused exterior, but Hinata's pretty green.”

Kageyama looked at him like Suga had just told him the sky was falling. “That might be true, but I’ve never seen someone draw like him, and draw as much as he does. He’s a monster.”

“Aw, Kageyama, don’t kid yourself. You both are monsters,” Suga joked. “But seriously, do you like him, like him? Like, actually like him in a single milkshake two straws kind of way?”

“I’m not sure what that means, but maybe,” Kageyama admitted. “We’re partners now.”

Suga’s eyebrows almost hit the ceiling and he clutched his heart. Kageyama was still everything he used to be, rough around the edges, steely-eyed, and generally closed-off, but maybe there was something different about him, thrumming underneath the surface. He had always been confident in a way Suga had never been, but he had always been alone. And, despite his pomp and success and talent, Kageyama was also young and still growing in so many ways. Suga was glad to see him finally let someone else in, though he knew that partnerships weren't easy. He never felt like he had much to offer Kageyama in terms of writing advice, but that didn't mean he wouldn't help in any way he could. “I’m happy for you guys, and I know we talked a little bit about it at our meeting last week, but if your publisher ends up not wanting to support you and Hinata, Asahi’ll be willing to help.”

Kageyama’s eyes lit up and Suga thought it was a good look on him. “I haven’t told them yet, but I'll keep in mind. You’d help too, right? Asahi can be indecisive and slow.”

“Be careful what you say to his face, you might make him cry,” Suga winked. “And of course I'd help. I really liked what we went over. Is that the story you and Hinata are going with?”

Kageyama nodded. “I liked what you presented as well.”

“Oh,” Suga scratched the back of his neck. “It was just a little idea to fill in the gaps at the end of the meeting. I’m not sure it’s going to turn into anything.”

“It was good,” Kageyama reassured him. “And people, I mean we’re all really excited that you’re working on something new again. It’s been,” Kageyama tried to count in his head and Suga had to laugh when he gave up, “awhile.”

“True, but you know I don’t write for other people, as much as I love them. I'm just waiting on some inspiration.” Suga said serenely. 

“Inspiration like… Another person?” Kageyama asked delicately. 

“Maybe," Suga admitted. 

Kageyama shed whatever tact he was pretending to have and fell back into his comfort zone, blunt honesty. Straight and to the point. “You’ve never been interested in strangers before. Why him?”

Classic Kageyama, Suga snorted. It was a good question, though, and one that had kept Suga up at night as he tossed and turned and tried to figure out exactly what it was about Daichi that hooked him so immediately and so intensely. It had been nothing and everything, the way he smiled at Hinata, the way he held Kageyama’s books like precious cargo, the way his presence felt like solid ground, the way he flushed when Hinata said something nice about him, how his dark eyes matched his hair, or his American rock band shirt. He wasn't about to admit any of that aloud, however. He kept it close to his heart and found better, more appropriate answer. "He seemed nice. And Hinata said he liked my work, remember?”

“Nice?” Kageyama spit out the word like it had personally offended him. “Suga, sorry, but that’s crap. Lots of people are nice and lots of people like your writing.” 

“I don't know about that, but he is nice," Suga deflected, "he was nice enough to let you back into his store after The Great Defilement,” Suga sang. He had come up with the name after Hinata had spilled the story and used it every chance he got. Kageyama turned red again and Suga laughed aloud. “But, seriously, he seems like someone who brings people together and that’s… Nice.”

“Okay, fine. He does seem, er, is nice,” Kageyama relented.

Suga continued. “And when I stand next to him, it feels like something good would happen. If that makes sense."

“He gives you hope?” Kageyama asked quietly.

“Huh, yeah," Suga felt his chest fill with warmth, "Something like that.”

The door chimed and a cold gust of wind welcomed new arrivals into the restaurant. Hinata stood on tiptoes to look around the restaurant, so Suga caught his eye and waved him over, careful not to overflow completely at the sight of Daichi in his jeans, keys in hand, looking as handsome as he remembered. 

 

He and Daichi didn’t get much of a chance to talk over dinner, despite it having been Suga’s surprise plan to get Daichi to go out with him, and he was the first to admit that he might've let himself get a little carried away as the meal progressed. Finally, at the end of the meal, when Suga was tipping a spoon back with his index finger to fling another round of whipped cream at Kageyama, Hinata stopped squawking, Daichi cleared his throat, and time itself seemed to stand still. Suga turned slowly to Daichi, who nonchalantly slurped the last of Suga’s unprotected milkshake. Suga reached for it, but Daichi pulled it back, shrugged, and told him that if he hadn’t been horsing around with the children, he would’ve been able to finish it himself. Suga suppressed the overwhelming desire to kiss him for such an artful display of savagery. He prided himself on his intuition, and was satisfied to know that they hadn't failed him. 

After exiting the restaurant, Hinata and Kageyama ran off before anyone could say anything and left Suga and Daichi under a streetlight, next to Daichi’s car. Suga inhaled the cool air, felt the evening breeze brush his cheeks, and enjoyed the quiet, muffled city noises around them. 

“Suga?” Daichi bit his lip and adjusted his jacket for the fifth time since leaving the building. “I just wanted to say that it was a pleasure seeing you tonight. Hinata doesn’t have a great track record with surprises, but I might have to give him this one.” He gestured to the car. “I’d love to give you a ride home, if you’d like.”

“If I’d like,” Suga repeated. He didn’t like. He wanted more. “What if I’d like for you to take me out for round two? Know any good bars around here?”

Daichi hesitated. “There is a bar I like not far from here. Should we tell Hinata and Kageyama?”

“Kageyama probably already has his hands down Hinata’s pants. Round two is going to be just us,” Suga clarified. Daichi froze and was quiet for so long that Suga was afraid he had stopped breathing. Suga held his own breath; he might’ve pushed his luck too far for one evening. 

Finally, Daichi loosened his shoulders and grinned. “I’d love to take you out.” He held out his arm. “Walk with me?”

“What a gentleman,” Suga cooed enthusiastically. He looped his arm through Daichi’s and let himself be led down the street, trying to catch glimpses of their profile when they walked by a window. They looked good together, Suga decided. 

When they were seated at the bar, drinks in hand, Daichi interrupted their comfortable silence. “I never got to tell you how much I enjoyed your books.”

The sincerity in his voice weighed heavily on Suga’s heart and the compliment sunk into his stomach like a lead weight. He felt like a jerk, but compliments never sat well with him, even though he knew he deserved them, rationally, at least. He smiled as genuinely as he could manage. “You’re too nice.”

“And they weren't easy to track down either,” Daichi laughed, “but the effort was worth it. I finished them both in, like, a week.”

It was too much. Suga brought his hands to his face and groaned. “Ugh. I can’t believe you actually read them.”

Daichi leaned forward. “What do you mean? Of course I read them?”

“I was young and stupid, and maybe went a little overboard with the graphic descriptions. You’re probably one of, like, ten people who have read them.” Suga stared into his drink and wondered what about Daichi made him feel like he could spill his guts so easily. Kageyama had said it earlier in the evening, but he didn't necessarily take well to strangers. Daichi was proving to be an exception.

“Then I’m lucky," Daichi responded with searing sincerity. "I know it doesn’t mean much, because I’m not a literary critic or anything, but I couldn’t put yours down.”

Suga let out a little breath of relief and fought back a smile. He took a sip of his cocktail.

“I also saw those zines you did with Shimizu Kiyoko.”

Suga immediately spit out the sip he just took and dropped the glass to the table. “You saw those? Oh my god, Asahi is such an asshole!"

Daichi reached out to Suga, but stopped short of touching his arm and let his hand hover. “Suga? Are you okay? What? Why?” Daichi asked with a frantic edge to his voice.

“I'm fine, but you must think I’m some sort of psychopath!" Suga moaned.

“If I thought you were a psychopath, I wouldn’t have let you bully me into taking you out."

“Hey!” Suga picked his head up and looked at Daichi, who stared at him earnestly, with a smile playing at the corners of his mouth. “For the record, I didn’t bully you,” Daichi hummed in response, “and I don't really like the idea of people outside the horror community reading them because they’re downright gruesome, especially with Kiyoko's unique talent for the disturbing.”

Daichi leaned back into the booth. “Honestly, I might’ve gagged a little bit the first time I opened them, but when I read them, I was sucked in. Even after the guy was turned inside out from… botched time travel, was it? And even after those women drilled holes in people to suck their blood to feed their vampire babies, and even if you robbed me of a couple hours of sleep, I thought they were cool.”

“Cool?"

“Definitely.” Daichi looked like he was thinking something over. “It's not Asahi's fault, you know. I think Noya was the one who stole them.”

“Oh, I’m going to smack Asahi a little bit. But that’s pretty par for the course," Suga paused, "wait, you know Noya?”

“I went to him after the con to see if he knew how to get a hold of your books. He works at the comic store in the mall, so it was easy to get a hold of him.”

Suga smiled wide. “Oh yeah! I had totally forgotten!”

“It’s funny, Hinata was friends with him first, and now my other employee, Tanaka, and him are thick as thieves, like some unholy alliance or something." Daichi shuddered as if he were reliving a horrible memory, "but, yeah, I hope you’re fine with him taking your stuff from Asahi. Suga? You okay?”

“Oh, I’m fine. It’s fine.” Suga reassured him. He knew he looked ridiculous, smiling ear-to-ear like a kid on their birthday, but he couldn’t help it. “You just keep surprising me, Daichi, like you’re part of the community already.”

“I don’t know about that,” Daichi brushed it off. “And I’m not sure about a community, but I thought it was my night to be surprised?” 

Suga bumped their knees under the table. “Sorry to ruin everything. You can go if you want.”

Daichi pushed back and held up his glass. “No, I'm sorry. You’re stuck with me until I finish my drink.”

“Oh, well" Suga smiled, "woe is me."

 

And, at the end of the night, long after their drinks were finished, when ice was fully melted and the glasses were pushed aside, after they shared stories about Kageyama, and Hinata, Asahi, Noya, Sports World, and writing and everything in between, Daichi finally worked up the nerve to ask him for his number. 

Suga pretended to consider it, like he wasn't already gripping his phone under the table in anticipation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Suga POV time. I got a little carried away with Suga and Kageyama, though I'm not sure I quite have the feel for him yet. Ah well. 
> 
> Hope you enjoy!! Thanks so much for reading! 
> 
> Next chapter, Suga and Daichi get to know each other better.


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Suga and Daichi get to know each other and there's some big news.

Daichi was not entirely convinced that the evening had even happened. 

Maybe Suga had never showed up at the diner and Daichi had just been talking to himself the entire evening, indulging in delusions for his most impressive third wheel performance yet. That scenario had seemed just as likely as, if not more so, him actually having spent the evening with Suga, playing footsie under the table at his favorite bar. He had told him that Kageyama had never heard of footsies, and that he had been accused of making things up, and Daichi had immediately felt the need to step in an prove that Suga was definitely not making things up. 

On the way back to his car, his phone buzzed in his pocket. 

    From: Suga  
    I appreciate your gentlemanly manner and all, but, not gonna lie, I’ll be expecting a kiss on the cheek next time :P

Maybe it hadn't been a dream. Daichi smiled into his phone and read the message aloud so that he could hear it with his own ears. Next time, huh?

There was a next time, and a time after that, and even a time after that. They had walked arm and arm through the city streets, drank coffee and tried new noodle bars and window shopped and seen movies and visited shrines and pointed out constellations in the sky. 

Suga also came to Sports World to visit him and make Hinata jealous. Not on purpose, he always said with a sly grin, and more often than not the visits ended up with them meeting Kageyama for food and drink and Daichi scolding the three of them like overly excited children on a field trip, echoing their first outing. Eventually, these outings included more people, and Daichi met Asahi properly, witnessed Noya and Tanaka chug beers faster than he thought humanly possible, shook hands with Tsukishima and Yamaguchi, and fidgeted nervously in the face of Kiyoko’s beauty as she held hands with Yachi. 

They spent a lot of time with other people, but, sometimes, it was the just the two of them, and Daichi selfishly admitted that those times were his favorite. He listened to Suga talk and tried his damnedest to understand how Suga, the most interesting man he had ever met, always had a million questions for him and how he seemed to soak up Daichi’s answers faster than he could spill them. 

When Suga had found out that Daichi’s favorite sport was volleyball, and he had played volleyball in high school and in college, he had insisted that they play together. So, the very next time they were both free, Daichi had taught Suga what he knew. When he started going back to the gym on a regular basis, Suga had asked, with practiced innocence, hey, can you bench me sometime? Daichi had said he couldn’t, but asked if Suga would like to join the community volleyball league with him? The answer was a resounding yes and they signed up the next day.

The months went by and it got colder, so their outings became less public and more private, and, again, Daichi selfishly admitted that he preferred it. He had invited Suga over to his apartment for the first time to watch movies. Daichi had figured it would be a good excuse for them to sit close on his couch and for him to make a move, but Suga had brought over a movie about a child who turned out to be a demon and Daichi hid behind Suga in the most undignified manner imaginable. So, instead of making a move that night, he had sent Suga off in an embarrassed hurry and spent the rest of the night under at least four blankets with his hands over his ears. 

When Suga had invited Daichi over his own place for the first time, Daichi felt like the heavens had opened up and swallowed him whole. He poured over the posters and outlines and scraps of paper tacked up on the walls. Suga joked that it made him look like a serial killer, and Daichi was a little disturbed by how elated he seemed at the thought. 

Occasionally, Daichi had asked whether or not he had been working on anything, but Suga never give him a direct answer. I’ll tell you when it’s ready, he said. 

One weekend, they went out for drinks with Kiyoko and Yachi. After Daichi’s initial embarrassment of stuttering every time he tried to speak to Kiyoko while Suga giggled at his expense, they started talking about the idea of an anthology. Yachi asked Suga if he thought Kageyama would be willing to submit something to help sales. Suga was keen on the idea, but Daichi wondered why they didn’t ask him, or if they asked him and he refused. He leaned toward Suga and kissed him on the side of the head, making Yachi blush. 

When he got sick of Daichi asking, Suga told him he should read Kageyama’s books, and see Yamaguchi’s lineart, and Yachi’s coloring, so Daichi looked them all up and inhaled what he could find. Hinata had been a little miffed that Suga had been the one to convince him to read Kageyama’s books, not him, but it didn’t last long, not when he could drag Daichi into his conversations as an active participant.

 

On one of Suga's many mall visits, after they had gotten their meals at the food court, Suga squeezed on the bench next to him and poked him in the side. “Whatcha doing this weekend?”

Daichi took a big bite of salad and chewed thoughtfully. “Nothing other than our volleyball practice on Saturday morning.”

“No work?” Suga asked. 

“Nope. I’m trying this new thing where I take weekends off to spend time with people I like.”

“Am I one of the lucky ones?” 

Daichi squeezed Suga’s thigh under the table. “Do you have to ask?”

“Does that mean I can break into your house on Friday night, before you get home from work, and make you dinner?”

Daichi almost choked on the bit of lettuce he just swallowed. “I mean, you’re welcome any time, but last time you made me dinner, I couldn’t feel my tongue for days.”

Suga rolled his eyes. “It’s not my fault you’re weak.” Daichi glared at him out of the corner of his eye and kept eating. “Okay, okay, I admit that my level of spicy could be misconstrued as a form of medieval torture. But I’ll make something you like. Please?”

“Suga, you don’t have to beg me to make me dinner,” Daichi joked. “Is there an occasion?”

“Ah,” Suga started, then stopped, and Daichi put down his fork to turn and look at him. “There is something I want to tell you.”

Daichi thought his stomach might drop through the floor. “Should I be worried?”

“No! If anything, you should be excited. I am,” Suga added with a warm smile. 

“If you’re sure,” Daichi said, his voice laced with a mixture of curiosity and low-level anxiety. He was about to ask more when they were interrupted. 

Michimiya dropped her tray on the table, across from them. “Hey stranger!” She greeted Daichi and squinted at Suga. “It's you again! Remind me of your name?”

Suga repeated his name and Daichi added the title they had agreed upon almost immediately after they started dating. “Suga’s my boyfriend, Mich. You've met dozens of times at this point."

Her eyes lit up like she had just won the lottery. “Right! Suga, Daichi's boyfriend, it's nice to see you again!” She took a long sip of her smoothie. "This must be a record for you, Daichi."

Daichi begged her with his eyes not to say anything else, but she just shrugged. Suga noticed the exchange, observant as ever. “Am I missing something?”

“No,” Daichi answered quickly, with the hope that the conversation would end there. He should've known better.

“Not really,” Michimiya hummed. “But I don’t think Daichi’s had an actual boyfriend in the last three years. Not that he couldn’t, I mean, you know, look at him, but he kinda just screws them and leaves them. So I’m surprised is all. I mean, it’s a good thing!” She added when she saw Daichi with his head in his hands. “Guess you're his excuse for not coming out with me anymore, though” she pouted.

Suga ignored most of the comment and slapped Daichi lightly. “You use me as an excuse to not go out?” He directed his attention to Michimiya. “Next time you want to go out, we’re definitely joining you!”

Michimiya clapped her hands and bounced in her seat. “Yay. And if you’re there, he can’t yell at me for making out with someone next to him and he won’t disappear with random guys into the bathroom!”

“He definitely won’t yell at you,” Suga reassured her, “and if he decides to go into the bathroom with random guys, we can forget him and have our own fun.”

Daichi shot up. “Hey!” 

Michimiya and Suga laughed and talked excitedly for the rest of lunch, and Daichi was more than happy to announce that his time was up and that they had to leave. Suga gave MIchimiya his number and Daichi had to pull him out of her arms. 

On the way to the escalator, Suga pulled Daichi into one of the service hallways and kissed him. When he pulled away, he didn't say anything, just looked at Daichi with soft, analyzing eyes. Daichi pushed a strand of silver hair behind Suga’s ear. “What was that for?” 

“I need an excuse to kiss you?" 

Daichi kissed the corner of Suga's mouth. “Never. Hey, I’m sorry for,” Daichi started to apologize, but Suga put his hand to Daichi’s mouth.

“Not sure what you were apologizing for, but you don’t have to. It’s just,” Suga bit his lip, “the part about you having sex with people and being done with them. That’s fine,” he emphasized, “but we haven’t had sex yet and I just want to make sure that you're not waiting to break up with me.”

Daichi thought back. Sure, he had fantasized about having sex with Suga since the moment he saw him, but, for some reason, when he was with Suga, even when they were making out on his couch and hands were everywhere, he was always content and sometimes even surprised, still, after all those months, that he was so lucky. “I guess it used to be important to me because that’s what I thought being in a relationship meant, like sex was the be all end all, or the goal, or something.” He took Suga’s hand and kissed his fingers. “Honestly, I'm just happy to be with you.”

“You’re such a sap,” Suga chided, though his face was bright red and he was grinning. 

“Only sometimes.” Daichi checked the time on his phone. “I should really go before Tanaka causes irreparable damage.”

“Okay. Just,” Suga leaned into Daichi for a hug. “I like you a lot.”

Daichi wrapped his arms arm Suga's waist. “I like you too," he whispered. "Now no more stupid talk about breaking up.”

Suga laughed and pulled Daichi out of the hallway and toward the down escalators. “So we’re definitely on for Friday?”

“Of course,” Daichi scoffed.

That Friday, Hinata came running into the store ten minutes after his shift was supposed to start and ran straight into Daichi.

“Daichi! Remember that anthology you told me about ages ago, the one that Yachi was hoping to put together?”

He lifted his hand to point at the clock. “Hinata, go punch in. You're late.”

“I will in just a second! But do you remember?” Daichi nodded slowly. “Well, first of all, they set a date for it to be published!”

“That’s great,” Daichi said. “Now go-”

Hinata grabbed Daichi’s arms. “I’m not done! Kageyama told me he was going to submit something, but he just told me today that he submitted something that we’ve been working on together, which means I’m being published in an actual book for the first time ever!” 

Daichi looked at Hinata and thought of all the years they spent together, how he would come in with bags under his eyes and new sketchbooks full of ideas, how he would talk and talk and never once lost hope that his time would come if he worked for it, and how it was finally happening for him. 

“We’re going out tonight to celebrate! Right after work! You’re coming, right?” Hinata asked with sparkling eyes. 

“I wouldn’t miss it. Now go punch in so we can actually get some work done today.”

“Right-o, captain!” Hinata sang. 

Something nagged at Daichi throughout the day, but he was caught up in Hinata's emotional whirlwind until they closed the store, when he checked his phone on the way to the parking lot. 

    From: Suga  
    Just pulling broth off the stove. Figured we’d eat and chat and then head out to celebrate the great news? Kageyama told me this morning! 

Fuck. Dinner with Suga. The dinner that Suga had been reminding him about all week. He typed a response as quickly as he could while walked through the parking lot to meet Tanaka, Noya, and Hinata at his car.

    To: Suga  
    Kind of promised I’d give the mall people a ride to the bar, which includes one of the guests of honor. Rain check? Meet us at the bar?

It took a couple minutes for Suga to reply. Daichi held his breath for most of it.

    From: Suga  
    Right. See you there!

He exhaled slowly, unsure of what to make of the reply.

 

The bar was packed when they arrived, and Daichi immediately spotted Suga talking quietly to Kageyama, who seemed to be less than pleased despite the happy news. Daichi supposed that he had enough published already that something this small wasn't that big a deal, but when he got closer, he noticed the air shift uncomfortably. Suga smiled at him, but Kageyama just glared until Suga elbowed him in the side hard enough to knock him off balance. Daichi took his place by Suga's side, handed him his beer, and they joined the celebration.

All in all, Daichi thought it was a good evening. He and Suga made rounds and congratulated the artists. There were toasts and speeches and jokes. He had even seen Tsukishima and Kageyama nod at each other over a beer. Suga didn't believe him, but he knew what he saw. 

As the party wound down, Suga excused himself and Daichi helped Asahi move empty glasses to the bar. 

“Have fun tonight?” Daichi asked.

“Definitely. I’m a little worried about all the work we have ahead of us, but it’ll be great. Really great,” Asahi said with a nod. It sounded like he was trying to convince himself more than Daichi. “You have fun?”

“Oh yeah. I’m just really happy for everyone. Hinata’s worked hard for this moment.”

Asahi hummed in agreement. “And I didn’t even get the chance to congratulate Suga properly. Noya begged him to let us say something tonight, but you know how he is. He thought it might take away from everyone else.”

Daichi looked at him in confusion. “Say something about what?”

“Did he not tell you? Oh god, I’m so sorry, I just assumed, because Suga said that he was going to tell you over dinner tonight?” 

“Tell me what?” Daichi asked sharply. 

“Uhh,” Asahi ran his hands through his hair and looked everywhere other than Daichi. He now understood why Suga wanted to punch him all the time. “So, Suga’s been working on a new book for years, or was, but he had stopped and we kind of thought the book was dead. Then, after the con, he picked it back up again and managed to finish it. He wanted us to give it a read through, and I think he was going to ask you to do the same before he submitted it to publishers. It’s a big deal for him.”

Daichi swallowed hard. 

“What’s wrong?” 

“I’m an idiot,” Daichi answered under his breath.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dun dun dun! Haha. Misunderstandings are my jam. 
> 
> I have some projects taking up my time, so the next update might be two weeks, but I'm aiming to finish it before the end of the year! You're like, yeah, Colleen, we've heard THAT one before. 
> 
> Thanks, as always, for reading and accompanying me on the journey!! I appreciate all your love and support. My tumblr is an explosion of randomness, but find me there if you want. @jellyryans.


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Daichi and Suga come to a standstill.

Asahi winced when they heard the bathroom door open. Suga came out, wiping his hands on his pants. He joined them again with a big smile, but it fell from his face just as Daichi was about to open his mouth. Suga looked pointedly at Asahi and the latter shrunk under Suga’s unforgiving gaze. “Why do you look like you have your tail between your legs, Asahi?”

Instead of answering the question, he muttered something unintelligible. Suga stared him down and it made Asahi’s reluctance to meet Suga’s gaze even stronger, so Daichi stepped in to try to help. He slipped in next to Suga, wrapped an arm around his neck, and pulled him close to kiss him lightly on temple. The tickle of Suga’s hair against his nose and the warmth of his skin under his mouth provided a welcome sense of encouragement, despite the stiffness of Suga’s shoulders.

“He told me about your book,” Daichi said into Suga’s hair with a smile. “That’s really amazing.” He kissed Suga’s temple again, but he didn’t react. Instead, he kept staring at Asahi, who looked around the bar frantically. 

“Noya’s not gonna save you,” Suga said in a syrupy voice. 

Asahi gulped. “Suga, I’m sorry, you said you would tell him tonight, I figured you would’ve before you came out because you’ve been planning it forev - OW!” Suga interrupted him with a strong smack and Asahi grabbed his side at the same time he turned away to hide the vulnerable spot. Suga rubbed his hands together and looked poised to strike again. Daichi stayed a couple paces away for good measure. It wasn’t long into their relationship that he realized Suga’s responses, whether they were happy or sad, involved a heavy dose of violence. When Daichi got his scheduled, not even remotely exciting, raise the month before, Suga punched him so hard in the stomach that he had trouble breathing. Daichi raised a hand to his mouth to cover the smile breaking out over his face and he looked to Suga, but, instead of hitting Asahi again, Suga let his hands rest at his side. 

“We’ll talk later,” he warned Asahi, “after you let me know that you and Noya got home safely.” Suga turned to Daichi and tried to smile, “I think I’m ready to go, but you can definitely stay if you want.”

“No, I’m good, and it seems like the rest of the party has died down, anyway.” Daichi gestured to Hinata and Kageyama, who had their coats on, Noya and Tanaka with their arms around each other and looked like they would pass out at any second, and Yachi and Kiyoko making out in a corner booth. And, if Daichi were being honest, nothing sounded better than taking Suga back to his house and showering him with all of the affection and pride that had been welling up in his chest since hearing the news from Asahi. “Back to my place? We can have dinner and you can tell me all about your book.”

“Oh, sure,” Suga agreed with a long exhale. There was something in Suga’s eyes, something that weighed on the corners of his mouth and didn’t allow him to smile fully. It wasn’t immediately obvious, and Suga did an excellent job of hiding it, but Daichi had spent the last handful of months cataloguing each and every glimmer, glint, and cast of his eyes, as well as every shape of his lips, every dimple of his smile, and every crinkle around the corners of his eyes. He was so thorough that he worried about the brain space he needed for his actual job.

“You okay?” Daichi asked as he helped Suga into his coat. His arms filled his sleeves and Suga flipped the scarf around his neck. Suga chewed on the question and stared into space for a second before nodding with another half-smile. 

Daichi figured they could talk more at his apartment, so they waved to the remaining group of people from the door, and Daichi held the door open for Suga pass through first.

The ride was quiet and Daichi glanced over at Suga whenever he could. He stared out the window and Daichi was treated to the red, green, blue, and white lights that reflected off each ashen strand of hair, strands that quivered when the car hit a bump or patch of gravel.

Daichi unlocked the door of his apartment and flipped on the lights to find his table immaculately set. The image was almost eerie and the room was cold, like there were ghosts at the place settings without being able to eat. He laughed to himself, not sure if the thought would’ve ever occurred 

He turned to Suga, who was already at the fridge, removing neatly stacked tupperwares of what Daichi assumed was the meal that Suga had made while Daichi was finishing up work. He spotted tofu, noodles, soft boiled eggs, and broth. The makings of shoyu ramen, Daichi’s favorite. Suga took clean pots off of the drying rack, ones that Daichi could only assume he had cleaned after cooking because the kitchen was spotless, and started emptying contents into pans and spinning burner dials. 

It was a lot to take in, all the work Suga had put into his favorite meal, made specifically to celebrate incredibly personal news that Suga hadn’t been able to share the way he wanted. “I’m sorry,” Daich blurted. 

Suga waved off the apology with a flick of the wrist. “It’s alright, I mean, extenuating circumstances and other awesome news, right?”

“Right.” The bowls on the table and Daichi’s good chopsticks gleamed at him. He wasn’t sure there was anything else he could say, but simply agreeing didn’t seem like enough. He pretended to wipe off the table, which was already clean. Suga had been thorough. “Is there anything I can do to help?” He asked meekly. 

“Nope,” Suga said from the stove. “Everything’s ready, it just needs a couple minutes to heat up.”

“Right,” Daichi said again.

Suga hummed to himself and Daichi watched him work until he served them straight from the pots. It was quiet except for the clinking of chopsticks and water sloshing in glasses. Daichi took a sip of the broth and closed his eyes. “This is perfect,” he groaned. “Can’t believe you made my favorite for your big day.”

“It’s not really my big day,” Suga said with a half-hearted laugh. “But thanks.”

Daichi smiled back and tried to argue, but Suga steered away from the subject. They relapsed into silence while they ate. When he was finished, he leaned back on his hands and complimented the chef again. Suga made a move to clean up, but Daichi reached across to stop him. “Hey, no way. I’ll get that.”

Daichi scooted closer to him and rubbed his arms, enjoying the feel of Suga’s slender arms under his hands. He noticed that Suga didn’t respond to the touch, like he didn’t earlier at the bar, and it made him anxious, so he pulled on all of his customer service experience and started to fill the silence, hoping to give Suga a buffer, or at least time to figure out what he wanted to say. “You know, all those months ago, when you were just a hot author at a random comic convention, I was bummed when I finished your books because it was the only way I could be close to you.” Suga shot him a skeptical look and the side of his mouth curved into a half-smile. “I’m serious! I didn’t know what to do with myself when I ran out of things to read!” Daichi emphasized. 

Suga smiled genuinely for the first time that night and let out a little laugh, encouraging Daichi, so he continued. “So now that my dreams have come true, tell me everything. Is it the story you were doing research for the other weekend? The one with the serial killer’s house that built itself to house the spirits of the people she murdered?”

Suga shook his head and opened his mouth to speak, but stopped himself and looked down at the table. 

“Hey,” Daichi leaned in and tried to make eye contact with him, but Suga scrunched up his face and looked away, so he took Suga’s hands in his and rubbed circles on his skin. 

“Sorry, it’s just,” Suga started with a sigh. “I feel like such an asshole.”

Daichi took one hand out of Suga’s and moved his fingers to Suga’s forehead to push a troublesome lock out of the way. “If there's anything I know, it's that you’re not an asshole, Suga. What’s wrong?”

Suga blew air through closed lips. “Kageyama and Hinata got such amazing news today, and I’m happy for them, but here I am, still a pouty jerk.”

“It’s okay to be jealous,” Daichi offered. “They did sort of steal your spotlight.”

“That’s not what’s bothering me,” Suga snapped. “I don’t care about all that. You should know me well enough by now.”

“Okay…” Daichi was at another loss. “Please tell me what’s bothering you,” he pleaded. He wasn’t sure he could take any more of the pain written into the lines on Suga’s face.

“It’s just, you were the person I was most excited to tell, and I drove myself nuts trying to figure out how best to share it, so I planned this dinner and did everything I could to make sure that it would be perfect because my book is this,” Suga stretched out his arms to illustrate his point, “huge thing and I understand that Kageyama and Hinata’s thing was important, but I thought you’d at least honor the plans we made first? Is that too much?” Suga was out of breath by the time he stopped. 

“I don’t think it’s too much,” Daichi conceded, “but it made much more sense for all of us to head right to the bar from the mall. You should’ve just told me how important this dinner was.”

“I get that,” Suga said quietly. “It definitely made sense for you guys to leave together, but we had plans first and you brushed them off. It’s us,” Suga motioned between them, “and I thought that you would put us first.”

Daichi ran his hands through his hair and dug into his scalp as he replayed the chain of events in his head. Of course all of their plans were important and he did want to put them first, but he was still stuck on the fact that Suga didn’t make it clear how critical this particular night was for him. Daichi knew Suga wanted to talk about something, but how was he supposed to gauge the level of importance? He asked it aloud.

“That’s my fault, I guess,” Suga admitted. “I wanted it to be a surprise.”

“Maybe we should just skip the surprises from now on, just to make sure that no one gets hurt again?” 

The words sounded good in his head, reasonable and logically sound, but as soon as Daichi said them, he regretted it. The color drained from Suga’s face and his hands fell to his sides. Suga’s nose twitched and he drew his lips together like he was trying not to cry. “No more surprises? Is that really the answer?”

Daichi panicked. “I mean, maybe little ones, but do we need them anymore? It was fun while we were getting together but now that we’re in a relationship maybe they’re not as important?” As he tried to explain himself, the dumbfounded look on Suga’s face made him feel like he was digging himself deeper into the ground.

“Is that how you really feel?”

“They just lead to miscommunication,” Daichi pointed out. “And no surprises kind of means that we’re totally comfortable around each other, right? Wouldn’t it be nice to not have to try to impress each other anymore now that we’re secure in our relationship?”

“Secure enough to not have to impress each other?” Suga asked with a furrowed brow. “Is that really what you want out of a relationship?”

“Maybe?” Daichi shrugged and tried to be nonchalant, but Suga’s eyes cut him like a blade and his insecurities and past relationship experiences were already clawing their way out of his body and spewing their guts before he had time to process it. “I mean, what did you think? That things would be exciting forever? That’s not realistic.”

“I know that things can’t stay shiny and new forever, but that all seems suspiciously like giving up,” Suga said guardedly. 

Daichi shook his head. “It’s not giving up, it’s just the natural evolution of things, you know? And I’m not the most exciting guy out there, Suga.”

“What are you talking about?” Suga asked, the question laced with worry. “That’s not what I meant, I-”

The words bubbled out of Daichi’s throat, falling out one after another. “That’s what it sounded like, Suga. I’m a boring, run of the mill, standard guy, and I’m fine with it, but you knew that going in.”

“You’re not boring and that’s not what I said,” Suga responded flatly. 

“I’m just telling you how I see it,” Daichi quipped, weary from the conversation, the way Suga’s face twisted into knots and the way his self-image pressed into his mind, punctuated by the guilt of knowing that he wasn’t making things any better and feeling inadequate for not knowing how to proceed. 

Suga wiped his eyes and stood up. Daichi reached for him, but Suga was just out of arm’s length. “I think I’m going to go.”

“Okay,” Daichi said weakly, still on the floor. 

Suga leaned down and took Daichi’s face in tentative hands to look him in the eyes, then pressed their mouths together. The kiss itself was soft, and longer than Daichi would’ve thought for two people just pressing their lips together. Suga’s mouth was warm against his and Daichi fought with himself. He desperately wanted to grab Suga, to keep him there, to apologize until he couldn’t speak anymore, to listen to him talk all night, to beg him to let him read his book and tell him how much he loved it. 

But, in the end, Daichi didn’t raise his arms, didn’t grab Suga’s hand when he held it over Daichi’s heart for a brief moment before pulling it away, didn’t stand up to walk Suga out, and didn’t say anything when Suga searched his face with his lips parted, like there were words not quite formed dangling from his lips. He didn’t get up when Suga put his coat on at the door and he didn’t stop the door from closing behind him. 

Daichi stared after Suga for what felt a long time. He got up to deposit the bowls in the sink, but, instead of washing them, he leaned against the counter with his cell phone. He wrote out him a message, thought better of it, and erased it from the screen.

He did the dishes and checked his phone again. Nothing. He wrote out another message to Suga and this time, instead of thinking about it, he sent it immediately.

    To: Suga  
    Home safe?

There was no response, so Daichi collapsed on the couch with his laptop and scoured the web for information about Suga’s book. He came across a couple forums and rumors, but didn’t see anything definitive. Daichi chewed on the inside of his lip. He searched again, but this time for Hinata and Kageyama’s newest collaboration. The screen exploded with news, even though it just became public that day.

Daichi was happy for them, and he knew Suga was happy for them, perhaps more excited for them than he was for himself, and Suga’s news wasn’t public yet, but he snarled at the computer anyway. 

He closed his laptop and rolled over on the couch to look across the apartment, a place that looked nothing like it did before Suga. There was the spider plant by the living room window and Suga saying “trust me, even you won’t be able to kill it.” And a framed picture of Captain America and Suga helping him hang it on the wall, saying “a little to the left Daichi” and wrapping his arms around Daichi’s waist as they looked at it. Pictures of them that Suga had printed, chastising Daichi when he made fun of him for being old-fashioned and saying “who wouldn’t want to see my face when they come into a room, huh?” A pile of books on the coffee table, some of them newer editions of Suga’s titles, signed, some of them recommendations that Suga brought over saying “seriously Daichi, read the first volume and tell me how disgusting you think it is.” 

That was just the living room. The bedroom floor was littered with gross anatomy pictures, zines with local ghost stories, and hurried outlines on the backs of opened envelopes. There was even a red paint splatter from the time Suga thought it would be cool to be like the detectives on TV and test blood spatters. “You know, for science,” Suga had said through giggles, dressed in one of Daichi’s old band shirts. Daichi had stayed mad for all of three seconds before scooping him up under the thighs and tearing at the cotton shirt with his teeth. He liked everything better that way. His apartment, his time, his life. Daichi's phone buzzed and he almost fell off the couch grabbing for it. 

    From: Suga  
    Yeah, Hinata and Tobio are here for some reason?

Daichi snorted, giddy with relief. 

    To: Suga  
    Have earplugs?

The reply came instantly.

    From: Suga  
    They’re already passed out, thank god. No animal sex noises tonight.

Daichi zoomed in on the attached picture. Kageyama was lying on Suga’s couch, which was too short for him, so one leg hooked over the armrest and the other hung off the cushion and planted firmly on the carpet. On top on him, Hinata was squished between Kageyama and the back of the couch, almost underneath the cushions. You wouldn’t have known there was a person there except for the shock of orange hair and bare, tattooed arm flung haphazardly over Kageyama’s chest. He couldn’t imagine that being comfortable, but, then again, amazingly, Hinata and Kageyama made it work.

    To: Suga  
    Are we okay?

The answer to Daichi’s question didn’t come until hours later, while he tossed and turned in bed. 

    From: Suga  
    Think so. just need time?

Daichi bit his lip in the dark.

    To: Suga  
    Of course.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So... this is late. Sorry. Life was crazy and then the story got REAL and I was like, hey now, I thought I told myself I was writing fluff?
> 
> Thanks so much for sticking around, reading the story, supporting me, being the awesome people that you are. Last chapter (?) will be up after I run through the whole piece. I'm not going to change it, but writer's remorse is a thing and I want to make sure I'm happy with the finished product before capping the project. You know. 
> 
> See you all next time for the happy (I PROMISE) ending where Daichi and Suga get their lives together. Yay.


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Daichi takes a leap.

A couple days passed with no word from Suga. Daichi was able to shrug it off, hunker down, and put any nervous energy he had into his work. He roped Tanaka into reorganizing the store room to maximize their storage space. When he asked Ennoshita to help him with preparations for year-end inventory, his assistant manager raised his eyebrows. Daichi said he just wanted to be prepared, and Ennoshita reminded him that they never did inventory prep in advance. 

“I know, but maybe just this year,” Daichi asked. 

Ennoshita just nodded. “I’ll get the clipboard,” he sighed. 

Then a week passed, and Daichi tried to process the extra nervous energy that he couldn’t hone at work into his volleyball league. He ran extra laps, did extra reps during weight room rotations, and stayed late to come up with strategies for their next match with the other community center.

Every night he came home exhausted and sore, but his brain held sleep hostage. He would lay in bed, stare at the ceiling, grab his phone, look at the blank screen, put it back on the table. A car would pass by the building and the light would reflect off his phone, tricking him into thinking there was a message. A notification. Something. Anything. Daichi pleaded into the void. He got his wish some nights, when he exchanged a couple messages with Suga, but the words were empty.

Two weeks went by and Daichi’s nervous energy turned into something uglier, something with which he was all too familiar. He had felt like an ass, still felt awful, but maybe, just maybe, even though it hurt, it was for the best. Suga was the most interesting person he had ever met. “Would he really have been happy with me?” Daichi asked himself. 

Michimiya caught him sulking in the food court and sat down next to him. He tried his best wipe the frown from his face, but she was too quick.

“Why the long face?” 

“Hey, oh, nothing. I was just thinking.”

Michimiya took her arm away to cross them over her chest. She looked around the food court before focusing back on Daichi. “Does your sulking have anything to do with a certain blonde not visiting you lately?”

“No,” Daichi responded a little too quickly. 

“Really?” Michimiya asked as she leaned on her elbows. “Y’know,” she mused aloud, “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you happier than you were with him. The way you two looked at each other made me sick,” she laughed, “but not in a bad way.”

“Mich-” Daichi tried to interrupt her train of thought before it took corporeal form and sliced through his gut. 

She continued. I’ve seen you with a lot of guys and your face never lit up the way it does when you’re talking about Suga. I’ve even seen you two lovebirds making out in the service hallways,” she giggled. “So what’s the deal?”

Daichi didn’t see any way to escape saying it aloud. “We had a fight, or something, and he needs his time to deal with it.” The words themselves didn’t seem so bad, but they weighed him down like extra gravity. 

“Sorry Daichi, but sulking isn’t going to help anything.”

“I’m not sulking.”

Michimiya raised an eyebrow and mimicked Daichi’s expression with wide eyes and an exaggerated pout. “Whatever you say.”

“There’s nothing I can do,” Daichi mumbled quietly. 

“So you’re just going to let him go, like the rest of them?” Michimiya said carefully.

The idea of putting Suga with the ‘rest of them’ made him want to punch a hole in the table, so he said nothing. 

Michimiya rolled her eyes. “I saw the way he looked at you, too. Has it ever occurred to you that he might actually like you just as much as you like him?” Her phone buzzed and she jumped off the bench. “There’s an asshole at the store, so I have to go kick some ass. See ya!”

Daichi stared at the rest of his half-eaten sandwich. Had it ever occurred to him that Suga might like him as much as he liked Suga? He cleaned up his table and made his way back to Sports World, where he was greeted by a suspiciously quiet Hinata and an icy Kageyama, which wasn’t completely out of the norm. What was abnormal, however, was the presence of a whispering firecracker with bleached hair talking to Tanaka in hushed tones. 

“Hey Hinata, Tanaka, people who don’t work here,” Daichi greeted coolly. “Am I interrupting something?” 

“Nope!” Hinata beamed. “We were just talking about you!”

“Really? Were you talking about how I told you replace the laces in the demo shoes? Which I see hasn’t been done yet?”

Both Hinata and Tanaka cringed, but Noya popped out from in between them. “That was my bad! But we’re here to fix everything.”

Daichi tapped his foot, feeling his patience dwindle to dangerously low levels. “Fix what exactly?” 

“C’mon Daichi,” Tanaka said, “you’ve been walking around like a cartoon character with a cloud over its head and it’s depressing the hell out of everyone.”

Daichi was oddly touched. Still annoyed, but touched. “Sorry I’ve been making things difficult on you guys. It was irresponsible of me to to let my personal life affect work. Now, can you please get back to work?”

Tanaka threw his hands in the air. “That’s not the point! We just care about the happiness of our fearless leader,” he said, ignoring the work part.

“Suga has been doing the weird thing where he smiles all the time and thinks that we can’t tell something’s wrong,” Kageyama added. “It’s the worst.”

“And it’s a little creepy,” Hinata shivered. 

Daichi looked at the people in front of him, staring at him with eager eyes. “I’m sorry, I don’t know what I can do.”

“Well, just so happens that I have,” Noya started and popped up in front of Daichi holding a plastic card that looked suspiciously like… “A pass! To the horror convention next week. Suga just announced that he’d be making a surprise appearance there. It’s pretty far away, but you should surprise him!”

Daichi’s stomach did an unpleasant flip. Instead of grabbing the pass, he gripped the sides of his pants. “I’m not sure that’s a good idea.”

Noya forced the pass into Daichi’s hands. “Pretty sure it’s the best idea ever. Plus,” he pointed his thumb at his chest, “you’ll have us to back you up!”

“Moral support!” Tanaka chirped.

Everyone pulled passes out of their pockets and held them up. It was a sweet gesture, Daichi admitted, but impractical. “Then who’s going to watch the store?” 

“I already asked Ennoshita to cover. He’s gonna grab Kinoshita and Narita, too. They’ve got some time between classes and studying and whatever else respectable kids like them do,” Tanaka winked. 

“Okay,” Daichi said slowly. He was running out of excuses. “But Suga said he needed his space and I need to respect that.” 

“Bullshit,” Kageyama said angrily. 

“Yeah, bullshit!” Hinata echoed from behind him. 

Kageyama reached back to swat at Hinata, but kept his eyes trained on Daichi. “I know he said that, but Suga still has a picture of you guys as his phone background. He looks at it when he thinks no one is paying attention, but it’s really obvious.” Kageyama looked around like Suga might pop out from behind a display.

Tanaka slung one arm around Noya and one around Hinata. “I think what we’re trying to say, boss man, is that you need to suck it up and go sweep your guy off his feet.”

He swallowed hard, his last full conversation with Suga swirling around in his head. The look on Suga’s face when Daichi told him he didn’t want any more surprises, how he felt when he didn’t go after Suga that night. The four pairs of eyes on him. The plastic passes reflecting the harsh lights of the store. “Okay,” he agreed.

Hinata, Tanaka, Noya, and even Kageyama descended on him. They erupted into shouts that started as victorious but ended as accusatory when Hinata flailed and accidentally whacked Kageyama across the face. Daichi had to split them up and, when he did, Hinata asked, “you’re driving us all, right?” 

Daichi groaned in response. “I guess so.”

Exactly a week later, everyone, including Asahi, gathered in the mall parking lot and crammed themselves into Daichi’s car like clowns in a circus act. Daichi drove the whole way with one eye in the rearview mirror scanning for cops, because Noya insisted on being strapped into Asahi’s lap, and Hinata, dressed as a zombie with fake blood streaming out of his mouth and makeup to fade his tattoos, kept touching Kageyama inappropriately thinking that no one noticed, so Kageyama responded by loudly threatening to make him bleed for real, and, to top it off, Tanaka screamed out the window every time another driver did something even remotely questionable. Daichi didn’t even have time to be nervous about seeing Suga.

He only had to pull the car over once, and Daichi took more than a couple deep breaths of relief when everyone tumbled out of the car in front of the hotel that was hosting the convention. He took Asahi aside, because he knew no one else would listen, and told him as clearly and explicitly as he could, “never fucking again.”

Crowds of people streamed in through the main doors as their own group approached. It was a veritable sea of black shirts, bright lips, fake blood, and fishnet stockings. When they were inside, Tanaka motioned for Daichi to turn around. “Looks like Kageyama’s fan club caught up with him,” he snickered. 

Sure enough, Kageyama was surrounded by a large group of people holding out whatever they had for him to sign. He signed and greeted diligently, but kept looking to Hinata, who stood right outside the group, giving him thumbs up in between giggles and snorts.

Tanaka snapped a blurry picture with his phone. “What? Ya know that’s going to be Hinata pretty soon.”

“No, I know,” Daichi smiled. If someone would’ve told him all those months ago, at his first con, that this is where he would end up, he would’ve thought they were out of their minds. He chastised his past self, because this was better than anything he could have imagined. They all watched Kageyama for a couple of minutes before Noya shoved the event program into Daichi’s hands. 

“Suga’s panel is on in an hour,” Noya said quickly. “Asahi’s already run off to see him at Kiyoko’s booth.”

Tanaka’s head whipped back from Kageyama and his gaggle of fans. “Kiyoko is here?”

“Hell yeah she is,” Noya smirked. 

“Then what are we waiting for? Daichi, you got this, right?” Tanaka clapped him on the back. 

“Yeah, yeah,” Daichi answered, a little jealous that everyone might see Suga before he did. If he did at all. If his barely-formed plan succeeded. The ‘if’ made Daichi uneasy all over again. “Are you going to tell him, Suga, that I’m here?”

Tanaka looked at him aghast. “And ruin your grand love gesture? What do you take me for?”

“Cool. Good,” Daichi said nervously. 

Noya and Tanaka ran off into the crowd, leaving Daichi alone in the sea of con-goers. He checked the map and wandered past tables on the way to the panel room. There didn’t seem to be any particular order, so he marveled at the towers of books, piles of swords, walls of gruesome masks, and groups of people comparing fake wounds. He couldn’t hide the slight curve of his lips and the awkward smile that followed. Suga was probably in heaven and Daichi was grateful to be a part of it. Even if their meeting backfired, this was what Suga loved, and he loved Suga.

They had never said it, always tiptoeing around the phrase, but there it was, plain as day. He loved Suga and suddenly felt like the world’s biggest asshole for never admitting it out loud.

Daichi waited outside the room with a piece of paper tacked to the wall. “A New Generation of LGBT+ Horror” written in thick, black sharpie confirmed that he was the right place. Hinata and Kageyama joined the line behind him, as well as Asahi, Noya and Tanaka, with Kiyoko and Yachi right behind them. Even Tsukishima and Yamaguchi joined the crowd, Yamaguchi waving happily to Hinata and Yachi. Daichi wasn’t sure whether he was glad for the support or mortified by the increasing number of witnesses to his potential failure.

Once the doors opened, Daichi walked quickly into the room and snagged a seat right by the microphone set up in the center of the aisle. He laughed into his hand and shook his head and dreaded the coming days, not knowing whether Hinata would ever let him live any of this down after all the grief he had given him all those months ago. 

Then again, he never thought he’d be in this situation, which, Daichi admitted, was wild and perfect. He looked up to the panelists taking their seats. Wild and perfect, just like the guy who climbed on the stage and looked right at him.

Suga cocked his head at Daichi with a surprised smile. Daichi felt a familiar arm over his shoulder and heard a quiet click. 

“Did you just take a picture?” Daichi whispered. 

“Of-fucking-course,” Tanaka whispered back. 

Hinata appeared on his other side. “Now don’t say anything dumb or embarrassing!” He teased in a low, sarcastic voice.

Daichi rolled his eyes. “Was that supposed to be me?”

“Duh,” Hinata laughed. “But seriously. Just do what I did.”

“Oh god,” Daichi mumbled. 

The moderator calmed the crowd and Daichi felt like he was on the first hill of a rollercoaster, slowly inching his way to the crest before freefallin. Suga didn’t do much talking, always preferring to let the other panelists speak, but, when he did, Daichi swore the room lit up. He prayed that someone would remember what they talked about, because he had trouble focusing on anything but the sound of Suga’s voice.

When it was time for questions, Daichi broke out into a cold sweat. He was first in line. Hinata had been right about the seats, Daichi gave him that. He stepped up to the microphone, but couldn’t bear to look up at the stage. “This question is for Sugawara Koushi,” he croaked and, all of a sudden, he blanked. Who’s idea was this? Why didn’t he just call Suga like a normal person? What would he even say? His mind raced back to the only other time he had been in this situation and the words were out before he realized what he was saying. 

“Do you have a boyfriend?”

Hinata was the first to laugh, then the audience, then a stunned Suga on stage, who let his head drop back and he laughed toward the ceiling. That laugh. The same laugh that first drew Daichi in, the laugh that first belonged to a confusing stranger, then to a charming acquaintance, then, finally, to a most treasured person, his most treasured person. He relaxed into the laugh and looked at Suga, who composed himself and leaned into the microphone of the person next to him. 

“What an original question,” he said with a wily grin. “I do, but he hasn’t been around much lately. You think you’re a better man for the job?”

Daichi shrugged. “That other guy was an idiot.”

“Really now,” Suga’s eyes shone. “And who are you?”

“A guy that wants to keep surprising you, or who wants to try, at least. I’m a guy that loves you.”

The crowd hushed.

Suga scrunched up his face to hold back tears. “Well, complete stranger that loves me,” Suga laughed, “I’m flattered and all, but this isn’t really an appropriate topic of conversation for a panel. So if you don’t have a question about my book…”

Daichi scratched the back of his head. “No, I do. Or, not a question, just that I’m really excited. And ready to help, if I can, at all.”

“I think I could find a way for you to help, handsome stranger,” Suga said through the tears that ran down his face. He wiped them with the back of his hand. “And thank you. I’m really excited, too.”

Daichi thanked the panelists for their time, nodded at Suga, and climbed back into his seat. He looked back at his moral support and muffled his laughter.

Tanaka was wiping tears off his own face, Nishinoya held Asahi’s hand in his lap and ran his fingers through Asahi’s hair with the other, the taller man barely holding it together, and Kageyama had his arm slung around Hinata’s shoulders as he bounced in place. He was about to open his mouth when Kageyama pulled his hair. 

Hinata planted a big kiss on Kageyama’s cheek. “What was that for? I was just gonna ask if he understood the method of my madness now?”

“Just shut your trap for a second,” Kageyama scolded. He fixed the tuft of hair that he had messed up and let his hand rest on Hinata’s shoulder so that he could lean into Kageyama’s chest. 

Daichi mouthed “thank you” to Kageyama and he nodded back with a blush.

They listened to the rest of the questions and, at the end of the panel, members of the audience gravitated to the front of the room and surrounded the panelists, shielding them from view. Daichi’s phone buzzed.

    From: Suga  
    What’re you doing after this?

Daichi knew exactly what he wanted to do.

    To: Suga  
    Telling you how incredible you are.

    From: Suga  
    You’re going to have to beat off all my adoring fans.

He smiled into his phone. 

    To: Suga  
    I’ll get my bat from the car.

    From: Suga  
    Make sure someone gets pics of the blood.

Daichi still didn’t know if everything would work out in the end, but he was sure of one thing, that he loved this man, gory details and all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well my dudes, what's done is done. Not gonna lie, I might've made myself a little emotional while writing this chapter and it was hella embarrassing. Hope you enjoyed! 
> 
> I have a couple other things in the works, like all fic writers, including Daichi rarepair week next month, a kiyoyachi thing, a BIG daisuga fic, a Suga/Asahi backstory for Torch in the Night, and, of course, a million and one oneshot ideas, so I'll see you all soon. 
> 
> Just... Thank you all again for your kindness, support, comments, kudos, subscriptions, bookmarks, all of it. It's really easy to get sucked into your insecurities, but y'all keep the dark at bay and I couldn't be more grateful. <3
> 
> [@jellyryans](http://jellyryans.tumblr.com/) on tumblr


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